




b* 



Class F ■" \- ' 

Book_JL5(li 
Goipghtl^" 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSrr. 



%{&y''^^^ 




The Jews of Iowa 



A COMPLETE HISTORY AND ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF 

THEIR RELIGIOUS, SOCIAL, ECONOMICAL AND 

EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS IN THIS STATE; 

A HISTORY OF THE JEWS OF 

EUROPE, NORTH AND SOUTH 

AMERICA IN MODERN TIMES, 

AND A BRIEF HISTORY 

OF IOWA. 



RABBI SIMON GLAZER 



Published by 

KOCH BROTHERS PRINTING CO. 

Des Moines, Iowa 



fwu Copies ffuCuiveu I 

MAY 31 »y05 i 

^ sc y- 




COPYRIGHTED 

1904 

ALL RIGHTS RESF.RVED BY THE AUTHOl 



In Hurrible Obedience to tt^e Men\ory of 
My Fattier 

Abralyam Elttalj (Blnzn 

Born in Erz^ilKen. Russia, 5598 (1838) 

and tlriere Gatl:iered to His Fatl:\ers 

Nisson 16, 5563, (Hpril 13. 1903) 

I DEDICATE THIS VOLUME 

The Author 



PREFACE, 



This volume contains a history of the development of the 
modern Jews as well as an account of a small group of Ameri- 
can Jews — The Jews of Iowa. The student, or reader, will 
easily be able to discover the mode of Israel's adventure dur- 
ing the sublimest epoch in the world's history and, subsequent- 
ly, will readily discern the enigmatic tangles which are creat- 
ing Jewish problems upon every continent. Besides, the gen- 
eral public will find in this work useful facts aboiut a misunder- 
stood class which seems toi be struggling upon the waves of 

* 
Time without interruption, and a mutual benefit is, therefore, 

inevitable. 

This work is divided into three parts, treating practically 
three difTerent subjects, but without knowing the first two the 
main object in view, in issuing this work, would have been 
futile. A short story of the groavth of Iowa was necessary 



X PREFACE 

prominent and are important as potent factors in Iowa citizen- 
ship as their brothers and sisters who are classed with the 
rank. 

The apology for this work is the preservation ol the an- 
nals of a handful of pioneers who were the offspring of the 
greatest history-making people under the sun, whose tri- 
umph in every walk of human effort demonstrates the 
fact that America and Americanism stand for equal 
opportunities to rich and poor, humble and lofty, and to prove 
that Israel, if only let alone, is capable of contributing every- 
thing good to the common cause of mankind, that verey ac- 
cusation against himi was prompted by bigotry and narrow 
mindedness, that anti-Semitism has no footing in this country 
and^that the West is still in its process of development, and 
many are its opportunities for homeless who are willing to 
work, for oppressed who crave for liberty and know how to 
enjoy it. 




January 30, 1905. Des Moines, Iowa. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 

Discovery of the Mississippi Valleys. — DeSoto— Discovery of the 
Mississippi. — Jesuitic and Franciscan Discoveries — Marquette and 
Joliet in Iowa— Indian Toast— Savage Menu— La Salle— His Adven- 
tures—Rediscovery of the Mississippi— Father Hennepin Passes 
Through Iowa— Death of LaSalle— First Colony— Slavery— Coloni- 
zation— English Predomination i — 13 

CHAPTER II 

Progress Prior to Civil War — Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon — 
Louisiana Purchase— Iowa Indians— Their Heroes — Taylor, Davis 
and, Lincoln in Iowa— Iowa Ceded to the United States— Julien 
Dubuque — Early Settlements— Iowa Becomes a Territory — Political 
Strength of Pioneers— Constitution Adopted— Des Moines Becomes 
Capitol City— Prosperity of Young Iowa 14— 19 

CHAPTER III 

Iowa in Struggle for Preservation of the Union— Washington 
and Lincoln— Champions of Liberty — Governor Kirkwood— Iowa in 
War Time— Civil War Opens— Potomac Army— MacClellan's Failure 
—General Grant— Iowa Soldiers— General Rosecrans— General Lee 
— General Meade Redeems Potomac Army— Copperheads in Iowa — 
Tally Army— General Hooker— Surrender of Richmond— Assassina- 
tion of Lincoln -20— 35 



XII CONTENTS 



CHAPTER IV 

Iowa's Period of Evolution — Constitution Amended — President 
Johnson— Iowa's Congressmen on His Impeachment — Rapid Recon- 
struction in Iowa - Grasshoppers— State Politics— Grant's Adminis- 
trat on— Iowa Gypsum— Growth of Population— Horace Greely— 
Woman's Suffrage— Grange Law— Hayes and Tilden— Prosperity in 
Iowa — Assassination of Garfield 36— 49 

CHAPTER V 

Golden Age of Iowa— Rapid Progress in Iowa — Issues— Liquor 
Problem— Governor Boies — Iowa Legislation— Cleveland and Hard 
Times— Iowa Statistics — Iowa Statesmen— Senator Allison — Triumph 
of Republicans— Governor Cummins Ardent Friend of Isreal 50— 61 

CHAPTER VI 

Jews in Modern Times-1492-1600— Expulsion of Spain — Navarre, 
Genoa, Naples, Rome, Fez, Portugal and Northern Africa— Fate of 
Refugees — Brabauel — Turkey, Palestine and Poland — Germany — 
The Talmud and The Dominicans— Luther's Reform and the Jews — 
Jewish Learning— Kabalah—Sulchan Aruch— Beginning of Spain's 
Ruin 62—74 

CHAPTER VII 

Jew Pioneers in America— Tidings In the Old World-1600-1700 
— Jews With Columbus— Brazil— Mexico— Peru — Portugese Jews in 
America — Fate of Pioneers— Amsterdam— M'nasseh ben Israel and 
Cromwell— Pseudo—Messianism— Sabbatal Zebi— Jews in Europe 
—Dutch in Brazill— Exodus of the World— Scholars of the Seven- 
teenth Century— First Jews in New Amsterdam— Levi and de Lucean 
— Jews in Newport 75 — 87 

CHAPTER VIII 

Ante-Indepedence Period in America and Pre-Emancipation 
Years in Europe Among the Jews- 170071776— Conditions in Europe 
Kabalah and the Rabbi's— Judah Chassid— Querid Zbi— Chayim 
Malach — Moses Chayim Luzzato — Jews in New York, Newport, 
Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New England, South Carolina — 
Three Stars in Europe— Reconstruction of Judaism— The Frankists. . 88 —99 



CONTENTS XIII 



CHAPTER IX 

Israel's Naturalization Amongthe Nations-1776-1825— Declaration 
of Independence and the Jews— George Washington, Israel's Friend— 
His Letters— European Jews— Their Emancipation in Austria- 
Equalization in France— Germany— Napoleon and Synhedrion— 
Judaism in America— The War of 1812— Mardecia Emanual Noah. .100— 113 

CHAPTER X 

Days of Regeneration and Activity in Israel-i825-i885 — Causes 
of Anti-Semitism— Judaism in England, France,Germany and Austria 
— Rushian Hashkalah and Political Conditions Among the Jews of 
the Czardom- Transition of Judaism in America — The Philadelphia 
Platform — A Reply 113— 130 

CHAPTER XI 

Exodus of Russia and Immigration to America-1880-1900— Pro- 
gress in Russia— May Laws— Anti-Semitism— Progress of Russian 
Jews in America— Yiddish Journalism. Poetry, Drama and Preaching 
—Judaism in America— Orthodoxy and Reform 131— 151 

CHAPTER XII 

Jews in the Days of Territorial Organization-1833-1846— A Jew 
Among the Founders of the First White Settlement in Iowa— First 
Jewish Farmers — Pioneers on Jewish Women — Appearance of 
Peddlers— First Jewish Office-Holder in this State— Pioneers Admire 
the People of Israel— First Naturalized Citizen in Iowa is a Jew- 
Intermarriage in the Early Days 152— 1 70 

CHAPTER XIII 

Jews During Early Days of Statehood-1846-1855— The Peddler 
— Mr. Levi of Dubuque — A Jew Among the Founders of Des Moines 
— William Krause's Story of Early Days— Jews in Keokuk, Burling- 
ton, Fort Madison, Muscatine, Davenport and Sioux City— Foundation 
for Future Jewish Organizations— List of Pioneers 171— 185 



XIV CONTENTS 



CHAPTER XIV 

Struggles of First Jewish Organization in Iowa, 1855-58— First 
Passover observed in Iowa — Benevolent Cliildren oi Jerusalem — Tiie 
Keokuk Gentiles Contribute to Jews Society — First Mynion in Iowa 
— Congregation B'nai Israel Founded — Chassidien and MisnagdiKi — 
Disagreement— Temporary Dissolution of B'nai Israel Congregation'i86— 195 

CHAPTER XV 

Jews Become Potent Factors in Iowa Prior to Civil War, 1854- 
1861— Signs of Prosperity Among Jewish Pioneers— Peddling a 
School of Experience— Early Settlers of Davenport— Arrival of Mo^es 
Bloom to Iowa — Burlington Center of Peddlers— List of Jewish 
Merchants, Artisans and Professional Men in Iowa Prior to 1861.. .,196—208 

CHAPTER XVI 

The Jews of Iowa in War Time, 1861-1865- The Jew in War- 
Jewish Patriotism Displayed During Civil War— List of Iowa 
Jewish Soldiers— Davenport Jews Establish a Congregation— B'nai 
Israel of Keokuk Revives — Inaugurate Novel Orthodox Custom — 
Services for Lincoln 209—224 

CHAPTER XVll 

Events Among Iowa Jews During and After the War Prior to 
the Establishment of Permanent Organizations, 1860-1873 — 
McGregor, "Newport of Iowa"— Isaiah Frankel— Jews Begin to 
Settle in Des Moines— Germans and Russians— How First Peddlers 
of Amon? the Russian Jews Came to Des Moines— List of Prominent 
Men— First Mynion in Des Moines— Keokuk Advancing— Burlington 
Awakens 225 — 239 

CHAPTER XVIII 

Adventures of the Jews in Iowa's Metropolis, 1873-1885— Life 
Among the Ghettoites— Religious Spirit Predominative Power of 
Pioneers— Social Life During Early Days— West Des Moines Jewry 
— Struggle at the Departure of Orthodoxy- Splendid Work of 
Jewish Ladies— Congregation Bnai Yeshurun — Congregation Bnai 
Israel— Progress of Both Divisions— Charity on the East Side — 
Synagogues Planned for on Both Sides 239—254 



CONTENTS XV 



CHAPTER XIX 

Growth of the Des Moines Jewry and Its Present Condition- 
1885-1903— Re-enforcement of the Des Moines Jewry— Gentiles As- 
sist Religious Efforts of the Jews— Remari<able Record Held by the 
Des Moines Jewry— Jewish Charities— Absence of Criminology 
Among Des Moines Jews — Sensational Events Stir Jewish Hearts. . .254—270 

CHAPTER XX 

The Davenport Jewry-1874- 1903— Transition of Judaism— Reor- 
ganization of the Davenport Congregation— Initiative Step Toward 
Reform — Spirited Opposition — Temple Emanuel Erected— Davenport 
Ladies— Equalization of Women in Judaism— Cloud Shadowing 
Glory of Davenport Jewry— Final Triumph— Rock Island Ghetto. . .271—288 

CHAPTER XXI 

The Sioux City Jewry-1869-1903— Sioux City— Classification of 
the Jews— Cemetery was First Thought of Pioneers — Godfrey Hat- 
tenbach— Founder of Cities— The Ger Zedek of Iowa— Second Rally 
of Religious Nature— Disinterment— Arrival of Persecuted Jews- 
Adventures of Orthodoxy— Ladies Inaugurate Movement to Build a 
Temple — Sioux City Jewry Starts on a Golden Career 289—302 

CHAPTER XXII 

Keokuk, Burlington, Dubuque and Other Organizied and Semi- 
Organized Jewries in Iowa-1873-1903— Decline of Oldest Congrega- 
tion Judaism Suffers in Burlington— Cradle of Iowa Jewry Holding 
Its Own— Muscatine— Centerville— Cedar Rapids — Oskaloosa— 
Ottumwa — Council Bluffs — Unorganized Mynionim — Religious 
Statistics of all Iowa Jewries 303—317 

CHAPTER XXIII 

Jewish Citizenship in Iowa— The Jew in Politics— Peer of Iowa 
Jewry— Career of Senator Bloom— Jewish Commissioner of Emi- 
gration— D. L. Heinsheimer— Other Jewish Office Holders in Iowa- 
First Orthodox Jewish Male Child of Des Moines Gains Prominence 
— The Only Jewish Captain of Iowa 318—333 



XVI CONTENTS 



CHAPTER XXIV 

Philanthropy in the Iowa Jewries— Charity versus Z'dakah— 
Scientific Charity— Peer of Northwestern Philanthropists— Ladies' 
Societies— Zionism— Statistics 334—347 

CHAPTER XXV 

Educational and Intellectual Progress in the Iowa Jewries- 
Ghetto Education— Products of Russian Hashkolah— Career of a 
Bard Ends in Iowa— Young Israel of America Pillar of Jews and 
Judaism— Jewish School Children in Iowa— Friendliness of the Press 
to Iowa Jews 348—359 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER I. 

DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEYS. 

De Soto — Discovery of the Mississippi — Jesuitic and Fran- 
ciscan Discoveries- — Marquette and Joliet in Iowa — Indian 
Toast — Savage Menu — La Salle — His Adventures — Re- 
discovery of the Mississippi — Father Hennepin passes 
through Iowa— Death of La Salle^ — First Colony — Slav- 
ery — Colonization — English Predomination. 

Providence destined a son of the inquisitionary Spain, the 
country of blood and flame, to die searching lands for the free 
iand homes for the poor. Spain which dyed her rivers with 
Israel's blood, filled her valleys with groans of Jacob's martyrs, 
and fattened her soil with brains arid limbs of Judah's inno- 
cent babes in 1492, brought forth a son, eight years later, who 
discovered a picturesque river, a fertile valley, and a beauti- 
ful land where now nearly a million of Jews find comfortable 
homes, plenty of bread and personal liberty. 

It was a delightful morning in the spring of 1542, when 
the fearless De Soto and his indefatigable crew amazedly be- 
held sunbeams embracing the willows of a hitherto unknown 
Great River and astonishingly heard the echo of a newly-dis- 
covered valley resounding their own joyful shouts. All haz- 
ardous impediments, perilous hindrances and dangerous ob- 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



structions which fate poured upon the great explorer during 
three years of fruitless penetration across mount and dale., 
prairie and everglade, vanished frorq his memory when his 
canoes finally reached the embouchure of the Washita river 
and the "Father of all Rivers" was visible. 

Ferdinand De Soto was born at Badjes, Estremadura, 
Spain, about 1500, and, at an early age, displayed a burning 
zeal for discovery and conquest ; his ambition was wholly real- 
ized; he conquered Florida and discovered the Mississippi, 
but he lived not to partake of the glory of his achievements — a 
few days after the famous discovery was made he sickened 
and died. Spain, by virtue of his discovery, claimed the en- 
tire territory embracing both of the Valleys to the Gulf of 
Mexico; but its title to the soil proved to be contrary to the 
European policy relating tO' land discovered on this conti- 
nent; it was held by all nations concerned in the New World 
that any power exploring new land shall hold title to the soil 
provided it was consummated by possession and, Spain, hav- 
ing abandoned the country unpossessed, it was left to be re- 
discovered and taken possession of by the French in a much 
later period. And, after the shallow hills re-echoed the mourn- 
ful chants of De Soto's faithful followers as they consecrated 
the oozy bed of the ''Father of all Rivers" by depositing what 
was left of their master in its current, no civilized voice was 
heard throughout the valley for over a century. 

The interval between De Soto and La Salle was eventful 
indeed, worthy of linking together the two great explorers; 
it was marked with daring expeditions conducted by zealous 
Franciscan and Jesuitic missionaries and by enterprising 



PIONEER PERIOD OF IOWA 



traders, who contributed largely to advance civilization in the 
savage regions and to obtain sufficient information which 
served as a key to the Mississippi valley. 

La Caron in 1611, Brebeuf and Daniel in 1634, Father 
Raymbault and Picard in 1640, and Claud AUouez and Dab- 
Ion in 1655-61, successively gained entrance into the myste- 
rious regions and discovered the lakes Michigan, Superior, On- 
tario and the Niagara Falls, as well as many Indian nations 
such as the Hurons, Sacs, Foxes, Illinois, Pottawattamies 
and oioux. But the most conspicuous explorers prior to La 
Salle were Marquette and Joliet, having had the distinction of 
being the first Europeans who ever trod upon Iowa soil. In 
1632, after New France was formally established under the 
charter of Louis XII, Quebec became the center of activity for 
missionaries and other adventurers. The task of extending 
the Canadian boundaries was now in the hands of the Jesuits 
and the government was watching their progress closely. 
When Marquette disclosed his plan of penetrating the Wild 
West to teach the savage wisdom, Joliet, on the part of the 
government, was ready to follow him and instruct the Ind- 
ians in European loyalty. On the 13th of May, 1670, an 
astonished host of Indians gathered at St. Ignatus to witness 
the departure of Marquette and Joliet and, with wild super- 
stition, labored to dishearten the travelers saying; 'The na- 
tives living about the Great River are ready to kill and eat 
any approaching stranger, and the river itself is full of for- 
midable monsters and evil spirits ;" but their conception of the 
Mississippi, monstrous as it was, could not alter the determina- 
tion of the valiant voyagers and, amidst prayers and Indian 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



chants, the two departed on their journey which resulted in 
the discovery of Iowa. 

They had httle hardship in reaching the extreme point 
of French explorations in the West ; for, the country south of 
St. Ignatus had been fully explored by Allouez and Dablon, 
who carried the gospel through western Wisconsin and north- 
ern Illinois visiting the Musquotines and Kickapoos on the Mil- 
waukee and the Maimis at the head of Lake Michigan, even to 
the Foxes on the Fox river, an account of which was in their 
possession. On the 25th day of June the adventurers noticed 
human footsteps and a narrow path apparently leading to 
some habitation; they left the canoes in charge of their five 
Frenchmen and, after proceeding on the west bank of the 
river, a distance of about two miles, they beheld a village sit- 
uated near the Mon-in-go-na (Des Moines) river. The stran- 
gers were cordially greeted and the calumet-peace-pipe — was 
freely offered them. One of the chiefs addressed them as fol- 
lows ; 

'T thank the Black Gown Chief (Marquette) and his friend 
(Joliet) for taking so much pains as to come and visit us. 
Never before has the earth been so beautiful nor the sun so 
bright as now ; never has the river been so calm or free of rocks 
which your canoes have removed as they passed down ; never 
has the tobacco had so fine a flavor nor our corn appeared so 
beautiful as we believe it now. Ask the Great Spirit to give 
us life and health, and come ye and dwell with us." 

"The guests were then escorted to a feast prepared in their 
fionor which consisted of cornmeal seasoned with oil, cooked 
fish, a roasted dog (this dish was at once removed, learning 



PIONEER PERIOD OF IOWA 



that the guests were not fond of it) and roasted buffalo; every 
dish being passed in turn into the mouths of all present by- 
means of large wooden spoons. Remarkable indeed, the spirit 
of hospitality was part of Iowa's climate long before civiliza- 
tion was known to it. Marquette and Joliet remained with 
their newly made friends six days and, after a hearty farewell, 
proceeded in their pursuits to discover other regions, which 
is not the purpose of this work to follow. 

The time now was drawing near for La Salle to appear on 
the list of the world's greatest explorers. Robert Cavelier, 
or La Salle, as he was named after one of his father's estates, 
was born at Rouen, France, about 1643, ^"d, after being con- 
nected with the Jesuits for a short time, he concluded to seek 
his fortune in Canada where his brother had charge of a par- 
ish; arriving at Montreal, a tract of land was granted to him 
and he established himself as a fur trader. A band of Indians 
chanced to his fort and, according to their description of the 
Ohio river. La Salle came to the conclusion that that stream 
must empty into the Gulf of California and he was at once 
seized with a burning enthusiasm to become the Columbus of 
the Pacific coast. He collected a crew of fourteen men, raised 
the necessary funds by selling his fort near the St. Lawrence, 
obtained a patent from the governor to conduct the expedition 
in the name of the French government and, on July 10, 1669, 
started up the St. Lawrence. In thirty days Ontario was 
reached and coasting westward they heard the tremendous 
roaring of the gigantic cataract Niargara, finally striking the 
western end of the Lake. 

Here a famous meeting took place between La Salle and 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Joliet who was returning from a fruitless expedition to Lake 
Superior in search of copper mlines. The latter, learning that 
La Salle aimed westward, supplied him with his maps of the 
entire territory, and proceeded on his way to Quebec. 
La Salle, as it appears, discovered his error about the 
Pacific coast and, instead, he embarked on the head stream 
of the Alleghany, east of Lake Erie, following it down to the 
Ohio which he continued to explore as far as the rapids of 
Louisville, Ky. There he was told by the natives that far 
beyond, (Meaning Cairo, 111.) this stream joins the b^d of 
that Great River which lost itself in the vast lowlands of the 
Sunny South. Fortune, howlever, refused to sanction his fur- 
ther movements on that perilous journey; all his men deserted 
him in a body and he was compelled to return to Canada, a 
distance of four hundred "lieues", across formidable marshes 
and solitary antres, on foot. Despite such disheartening ex- 
periences, he was elated with joy when his friend, governor 
Frontenac, ordered him to go to France and obtain a charter 
to explore the lowlands adjacent to the Mississippi in the 
name of Louis XIV. 

La Salle visited France in 1674 and in recognition of his 
previous expedition, he was created an untitled noble, governor 
of the new Fort Frontenac, and received his seigniorial grant 
around the Fort. Six days after La Salle has been thus ex- 
alted by the French court, Marquette, the discoverer of Iowa, 
still on his duty, carrying the gospel among the savages, or- 
dered his crew to carry him ashore so that he might yield his 
soul in a hut; for, the great Father knew that his end would 
come before the canoes could reach their destination. And 



PIONEER PERIOD OF IOWA 



it was so; he died on the 19th day of May 1675. Thus was 
one great light ecHpsed when another begun to shine. La 
Salle, however, deferred his projected expedition and in 1677 
revisited France and laid his plans before the famous Colbert 
who, in turn, presented the matter to Court and soon King 
Louis ordered La Salle to set sail for Canada and carry out 
his project at the speediest possible time. On the i8th day 
of November, 1678, the first French expedition headed by I^a 
Salle set out southward, but it was repulsed by fierce attacks 
of the elements and the navigators were forced to retreat. 

On August 7th, the year following. La Salle and his fol- 
lowers re-embarked and successfully reached Green Bay, thence 
to the Illinois and, proceeding on that river about sixty miles 
they erected a fort which served them as temporary head- 
quarters till March 1680. Father Hennepin accompanied by 
six members of the crew sailed down the Illinois and explored 
the Upper valley, passing through some parts of Wisconsin, 
Iowa and Minnesota — a distance of 800 miles — even to the 
falls above St. Paul, which they named St. Anthony. As 
soon as Hennepin returned and reported his success, La Salle 
started on his long cherished for expedition which was to 
perpetuate his name alongside with the others whom the world 
will never forget. The Gulf of Mexico was discovered and 
the entire Lower Valley round about the Mississippi was taken 
possession of by La Salle in the name of Louis XIV, on the 
9th day of April 1682. The territory was namted Louisiana 
in honor of King Louis and the river, Colbert, in honor of 
the French minister who helped La Salle considerably while 
looking for a charter at Court. La Salle's activity did not 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



cease, his task wias completed, but bis work not yet ended; 
be returned to Quebec and immediately sailed for France 
where garlands of honor and* tributes of heroism awaited him. 

He now turned his attention wholly to the South and his 
chief ambition was to see a colony established in its fair low- 
land and, to give his word action, he collected a crew of two 
hundred and fifty eager homeseekers and, without further de- 
lay, started for the mouth of the Mississippi. Here La Salle 
reached the summit of his career, and fate begun to lead him 
downward. He never again reached the spot so dear to him ; 
four months of fruitless search for the mouth of the Mississippi 
convinced him that his ambition was checked. He left most 
of his disappointed and angry followers in Texas and, seeing 
that his hope faded to nothingness, he concluded to return 
home afoot and on the I2th day of January 1687, he started 
out toward Illinois. But his followers proved treacherous 
to himi and, on March 20th of that year, three of them assas- 
sinated him. Thus was a glorious career ended, and a per- 
fect man cut off in the prime of his life, by the cruel hands of 
reckless assassins ! 

At the close of the 17th century, notwithstanding the re- 
verses of war sustained at the hands of the English, France 
directed its attention to the mysterious lowlands of the Sunny 
South. Ambitious navigators and thrifty homeseekers 
grasped the opportunity offered to them by the government 
and eagerly went to hunt their fortunes in the country of al- 
most fabulous resources. On March 2nd, 1699, D'Iberville, 
a brave navigator with several hundred men reached the mouth 
of the Mississippi and, through his untiring effort, the first 



PROGRESS PRIOR TO CIVIL WAR 



colony of Europeans was established at Biloxi Bay which 
served as the groundwork for the future Commonwealth of 
Mississippi. In 1702, a certain Frenchman attempted to es- 
tablish a permanent settlement in the Upper Valley and to 
take formal possession of the entire country now embracing 
the states of Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas, but his efforts 
were without consequence; the fort which he had erected at 
Blue Earth was isolated and colonization was deferred for 
decades to come. Meantime the populating of the Lower 
Valley was prosecuted vigorously, and, in order to encour- 
age immigration and to obtain cheap labor, African negroes 
were imported and slavery had its initial appearance in Louis- 
iana. 

In 1 712, the French government became financially entan- 
gled and was, therefore, unable to take advance measures in 
colonizing the Valley at its own expense; a charter assigning 
the control of commerce w^as accordingly granted to a Paris- 
ian merchant named Anthony Crozart. Thus went the south- 
ern pioneers from evil to misfortune — from slavery to mo- 
nopoly — in but a short while. But the ambitious individual 
was overwhelmed by the English competition, and repulsed 
by the Spanish government which closed all its harbors against 
his vessels, and after five years of fighting against disadvan- 
tages, he was doomed to defeat, and in August 171 7, he yield- 
ed up the charter. The territory was then transferred to a 
Company which was to operate all its affairs, for a period of 
twenty-five years, according to its own discretion — even to the 
selection of a governor and conducting wars. Bienville was 
chosen governor, and the scheme went from strength to 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Strength for a short time. Hundreds of Europeans as well 
as slaves were brought to the Valley and an educational in- 
stitution under the management of the Jesuits was established 
at Kaskaskia. New Orleans was founded about that period 
and the Valley became the enchantment of France, Spain and 
England. Some of the new-comers betook themselves to tilling 
the ground and establishing permanent homes, while others 
paid little attention to the soil and wasted their time in search- 
ing for its precious metals and hidden treasures. The appar- 
ent success of the Company took a sudden change and it ended 
disastrously; bankruptcy became imminent after existing four 
years in an assumed flourishing condition. The failure was 
due to a certain currency system fathered by a certain John 
Law who for a few years was the idol of France. The down- 
fall of the Mississippi company was a severe blow to French 
predomination on this continent ; it wrested from the hands of 
France even Canada. 

In 1756-62 England overpowered France on the battle- 
field and Canada together with all the territories east of the 
Mississippi was annexed to English dominion on this hemi- 
sphere. Spain claimed the Upper Valley and a tract of land 
east of New Orleans as having been ceded to her by the 
French King. This left France without a foot of territory^ 
in both Valleys. The change of governments proved helpful 
to the struggling inhabitants of the Lower Valley; some of 
the Frenchmen who belonged to the speculative class now be- 
came productive, and, since their home country lost control 
over the Valley, patriotism compelled themi to migrate to the 
Upper Valley to till the ground and build homes. Life on the 



PIONEER PERIOD OF IOWA 13 



Mississippi assumed a newi form; children were given the 
benefit of reading, writing and a little arithmetic, ministers 
preached religion to their flock and domestc happiness begun 
to prevail throughout the vast lowland. Meantim.e Iowa 
rose from its obscurity; it begun to shine together with the 
century of electricity. 



THE JEWS OF IOWA. 



CHAPTER II. 

PROGRESS PRIOR TO CIVIL WAR. 

Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon— Louisiana Purchase- 
Iowa Indians— Their Heroes— Taylor, Davis and Lincoln 
in Iowa— Iowa Ceded to the United States— Julien Du- 
buque—Early Settlements— Iowa Becomes a Territory- 
Political Strength of Pioneers— Constitution Adopted— 
Des Moines Becomes Capital City— Prosperity of Young 
Iowa. 

When the very foundations of Europe were trembling 
before the fiery ambition of Napoleon Bonaparte, Spain yiele- 
ed back to France her possessions on this hemisphere and for 
awhile it seemed that the Dictator of Europe would have do- 
minion over a territory now comprising the States of Louisi- 
ana, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, both 
of the Dakotas, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho. Wyoming, Wash- 
ington, Montana and Iowa, and the Oklahoma and Arizona 
territories— an area of 1,171,931 square miles, exceeding the 
original thirteen States by 344^087 square miles—; but when 
the mighty soldier became thirsty for America's cold cash, 
Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States, was ready 
to negotiate with him and, on the 30th day of April 1803. 
the Louisiana purchase was made for the paltry consideration 
of $15,000,000. 



PROGRESS PRIOR TO CIVIL WAR. 15 

Thus, not until America belonged to Americans did the 
soil of this magnificent country unfold its hidden treasures, 
and not until the flag of the Union floated over Louisiana 
did the resourceful Valleys shower prosperity upon the toilers. 

England yoked the country with unbearable taxation, 
France, with unendurable schemes and Spain, with undescrib- 
able inhumanity; it was therefore left for the Fathers of this 
Republic to wrest the golden land from the hands of tyrants 
and shield it with the wings of the American Eagle. 

What is now lowla was anciently inhabited by two predon> 
inating branches of the Indian race; the Dakotas, and the 
Algonquins. The former, consisting o^f the tribe of Otoes, 
Missouris, Winnebagoes, Sissesstans, Oniahas, Osages and 
lowas, occupied the northern section of the state, and the lat- 
ter, consisting of the families of Chippewas, Ottawas, Pot- 
tawattamies, Illinois, Sioux, Sacs and Foxes, lived in southern 
Iowa. Great heroes and cunning warriors rose up from time 
to time to resist the invasion of the whites ; chief amongst them 
were, Mohaska of the lowias, Black Hawk, Appanoose and 
Keokuk of the Sacs, Wanata of the Sioux, and Wapella and 
Kishkekosh of the Foxes. But their heroism faded into in- 
significance before the tide of the sublimest kind of progress 
ever attained by mankind which is called — Americanism. 

At the dawn of the 19th century little more than vague 
intimation and incredulous tales were current about the mys- 
terious West and, when the United States concluded to solve 
its enigma, it was found to be up against disadvantageous 
labors requiring men, money and many years for the conquest 
thereof. The savage enemy was fierce, determined and cun- 



i6 THE JEWS OF IOWA. 



ning, whereas the prospects of the "land of prairie and rein- 
deer" could not be forecasted to justify decisive measures for 
the accomplishment of the difficult task. The mildest possible 
methods were adopted in subjugating the natives; war was 
waged only in cases when friendliness failed and bloodshed 
became inevitable. 

The first expedition to the West under the guidance of the 
Stars and Stripes was conducted by Zebulun M. Pike in 1804; 
a year later he selected a site for a fort, and in 1808, Fort 
Madison was built upon that site. About the same time the 
Sacs and Foxes, who were then the tribes in power, ceded to 
the United States a large tract of land on both sides of the 
Mississippi River including a part of Iowa. Many more 
great and illustrious men assisted in clearing Iowa from 
thorns and thistles, chief among them were, Zachary Taylor, 
afterwards president of the United States, (1848) his lieuten- 
ant Jefferson Davis, afterwards president of the Confederate 
States, and Abraham Lincoln afterwards president during the 
Civil War. In 1832, the Sacs and Foxes ceded to the United 
States a part of Wisconsin and the whole territory now em- 
bracing Iowa, reserving for their chieftain Keokuk, only 47 
square miles; but even that reserve was bought by United 
States two years later, at the mean price of seventy-five cents 
per acre. Thus fell the wall of savagery' flat before the mighty 
shouts of the trumpets of civilization. 

The first European to come into the favor of the Iowa na- 
tives, and incidentally to become the first settler in the state, 
was Julieun Dubuque, a French-Canadian trader. He landed in 
Iowa about 1788, and at a council held in Prairie du Chien, 



PROGRESS PRIOR TO CIVIL WAR 17 

was granted a tract of 140,000 acres of land, and perrnissioii 
to work lead mines, which were discovered in 1780, by the 
wife of a Fox warrior named Peosta, at the site wihere now 
flourishes the city bearing the Frenchman's name. 

But settlement grew very slowly during the first quarter of 
the 19th century; it was mainly due to the fact that Iowa was 
pronounced a fruitless and resourceless prairie, incapable of 
producing either provender for stock or provisions for men. 
This state might justly apply to herself the Psalmodic maxim ; 
"The stone which the builders refused, is become the head- 
stone of the corner." Soon, however, villages sprang forth, 
farms were laid out, comlmunities organized, charters obtained, 
deeds granted and rules established. Burlington, Fort Madi- 
son, Dubuque, Davenport, Salem — the first Quaker settlement 
— Muscatine, Keokuk, Iowa City and Nashville on the lower 
rapids, were founded before Iowa became an independent ter- 
ritory. 

The process of changes in the newly-acquired territory 
leading to the development of Iowa and to its admissibility to 
the Union, sum up as foUow^s : In 1804, the Louisiana Terri- 
tory was divided into the Orleans Territory, south of the thir- 
ty-third parallel of north latitude, and the District of Louisi- 
ana, which was to be governed by the officials of Indian Terri- 
tory. In 1805, the District of Louisiana was organized into a 
self governing Territory; and the Orleans Territory joined the - 
Union under the name of Louisiana in 18 12. In the same year 
Louisiana Territory changed its name to that of Missouri 
Territory. In 18 19, the Arkansas Territory was formed, and 
in 1 82 1, the State of Missouri, being part of the Territory 



i8 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



of that name, was formed and added to the Union. In 1834, 
the country bounded to the east by the Mississippi River and 
to the south by the State of Missouri, was taken from that of 
Michigan Territory and organized into a separate Territory 
under the name of Wisconsin. In 1838, the Territory of 
Iowa was organized and, in addition to its present area, it in- 
cluded the greater part of the present Minnesota and the Da- 
kotas, extending its Hne to Canada. 

The population of Iowa at that time was 22,589, nearly 
all of whom were immigrants; for, not until 1831, was a white 
child bom on Iowa soil. The pioneers were of the best that 
this continent afforded; they all were God-fearing, law-abid- 
ing, industrious and honest tillers of the ground, hewers of 
wood, keepers of sheep, and well-diggers — patriarchal work 
becoming the ancestors of the present lowans. 

Territorial government was inaugurated July 4, 1838, in 
a two-story frame house, at Burlington, Iowa, with Robert 
Lucas as governor; one year later Congress granted a site in 
Iowa City and the seat of government was removed thither. 
John Chambers and James Clark were the next governors to 
preside over the Territory of Iowa, and the legislation enacted 
during the administrations of Iowa's first three governors 
might easily be a credit to any chief executive of today. 

In 1845 Iowa applied to be admitted to the Union, and 
much courage was displayed by the Iowa politicians of the 
pioneer period in the boundary dispute with Congress and, 
on the 28th day of December, 1846, Iowa was formally ad- 
mitted to the Union creating the twenty-ninth star in. the glo- 
rious flag of the United States. 



PROGRESS PRIOR TO CIVIL WAR 19 

The progress of young Iowa is matchless in the annals of 
this country; in but twenty-two years the population of Iowa 
increased to 674,913; a State Agricurtural Society was organ- 
ized; (1854) a Constitution, most humane and philosophic, 
was adopted by a vote of 40, 311, to 38, 681 ; (1857) a State 
University at Iowa City opened; (1847) the Iowa Wesleyan 
University chartered and opened at Mount Pleasant; (1855) 
ground was broken for the Mississippi and Missouri R. R. ; 
(1854) the cornerstone of the first railroad bridge across the 
Mississippi, between Davenport and Rock Island, was laid; 
(1854) and the State Agricultural College at Ames was es- 
tablished. (1858) On the 19th day of October, 1857, the 
seat of government was removed from Iowa City and, the 
metropolis of this great state, the city of Des Moines, was 
declared the capital of Iowa. 

The governors of Iowa presiding over its affairs before 
the Civil War were, Anshell Briggs, (1846-50), Stephen 
Hempsted, (1850-54); James W. Grimes, (1854-58); and 
Robert P. Lowe ; each of whom contributed no mean share to 
the present greatness of this state. 

Yet the real development of the head state of the Louis- 
iana Purchase came to pass after the American had quit fight- 
ing his brother! 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER III. 

IOWA IN STRUGGLE FOR PRESERVATION OF THE UNION. 

Washington and Lincoln — Champions of Liberty — Governor 
Kirkwood — Iowa in War Time — Civil War Opens — 
Potomac Army — MacClellan's Failure — General Grant — 
Iowa Soldiers — General Rosecrans — ^^General Lee — General 
Meade Redeems Potomac Army — Copperheads in Iowa- 
Tally Army — General Hooker — Surrender of Richmond — 
Assassination of Lincoln. 

All Americans of all generations, regardless of creed, color 
or politics, will continually be united in praising the heroes of 
1861-65, for rising up, with sword and spear, against their own 
kindred to save liberty and freedom from the violent currents 
of slavery and tyranny before they were inundated. Even 
the staunch adherents of universal peace will, at all times, be 
struck with admiration reading of the gallantry of the young 
Americans and recounting the bravery of the "Gray Beards,'* 
who, sacrificing their own lives, have checked the heart- 
breaking cry of the enslaved before it reached heaven and 
thereby stilled the anger of God before he poured forth ven- 
geance sevenfold upon the heads of the American people. War 
could never be justified unless it be waged for the sake of 
liberty; and, the Americans, having never unsheathed their 
sword unless it was to strike down tyranny and slavery, have, 



PRESFRVATION OF THE UiVIOX 



therefore, accornplished in but few wars and few generations 
that which the whole world was and is fighting for since Crea- 
tion. 

Never, in the history of manlcind, was liberty better under- 
stood or freedom better interpreted, than at the time when the 
forces of George III. were forced to their doomi by the power- 
ful hand of the immortal Washington ; neither was there ever 
a greater triumph for civilization, or a greater death-darting 
blow upon slavery, than at the time when the first call for 
volunteers was issued by the sainted Lincoln. Hannibal, Alex- 
ander, Caesar, Charles of Sweden, Peter of Russia, Frederick 
of Prussia and Napoleon — the world's greatest warriors — what 
becomes of their heroism alongside the achievements of Wash- 
ington and Lincoln? Can one draw a parallel between Joan 
de Arc — the Maiden of Orleans — and the prophetess Deborah 
of yore ? 

Asia, Africa and Europe are as yet under the yoke of blood 
and iron; each country of these continents is still representing 
a vale of tears and blood streaming forth out of the eyes and 
limbs of myriads of subjected human beings who practically 
have no country to live in, but are forced to die for. Not, so, 
forsooth, on this continent; here every village and townlet, 
every metropolis and capital, every farm house and lonely 
cabin, is filled with blessings from heaven above and with 
happiness from earth beneath; indeed, here every man, every 
honest toiler, has a country to live in and, when duty calls him 
forth, cheerfully dies for it. 

The most wonderful and astounding progress to chronicle 
?n hic^orv must be credited to American brain and muscle, and 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Iowa, being a goodly bulk of this great land, kept pace with 
the forembst states, and is now recognized as the head state 
of the Mississippi Valley. Iowa exceeded even the most fantas- 
tic expectation of her rich resources, and her real greatness is 
as yet hidden beneath a golden future. The Hawkeye state has 
left all her sisters in the northwest far behind not only in 
the production of corn, but even in importance as a factor in 
national politics. The state is largely republican, but a good 
democrat is always appreciated. And all her greatness came 
to pass between 1865- 1900. In war time lo'wa yielded her 
sturdy sons to be sacrificed upon the altar of liberty without 
a murmur; even old men, albiet unable to be active in any en- 
gagement, formed a regiment known as the " Gray Beards," 
and went to the front to relieve the younger men from camp 
duties so that they might be of service upon the battle field. 

During the bitter conflict the lowans proved themselves 
worthy of bearing such proud and beautiful name; they have 
excelled in zeal and bravery the bravest and most zealous, 
and have served the cause of liberty with patriarchal faithful- 
ness. The war governor, Kirwood, in secret conference with 
the president elect, Lincoln, pledged Iowa " to do its utmost 
in preserving peace, if that can be fairly accomplished, and in 
preserving the Union in any event, at whatever cost;" and 
the lowans, at the outbreak of hostilities, redeemed this magni- 
ficent state by sustaining their governor. At both of the i>eace 
conventions held successively at Albany, New York, January 
31, 1 86 1, and at Washington, D. C, February 4th, of that 
year, the Iowa delegations endeavered by all honorable means 
to maintain peace; but when no peaceful conclusion came to 



PRESERVATION OF THE UNION 23 

pass, largely due to the stubbornness of the delegates of the 
seven slavery states, the Hawkeye state looked upon its south- 
ern sisters with defiance and drew a sword of determination to 
preserve the Union. 

At the opening of the war Iowa had no military organiza- 
tion to speak of ; for, since General Scott finally triumphed over 
Mexico in 1848, the country in general anticipated no foe, and, 
therefore, no hostile preparations were encouraged in any of 
the Federal states. However, a few independent companies 
of militia existed in scattered sections of the state, and when 
the country at large was alarmed at the bold action of General 
Beauregard, whoi opened fire on Fort Sumter, April i,st, 
1 86 1, Burlington, lo-wa, was first in line to muster into the 
field a well drilled company of soldiers. 

At that time a chain of troubles, comprising grief, defeat, 
death, lawlessness and hopelessness encompassed the youthful 
state of Iowa ; the common enemy of the Union, a threatening 
invasion of the Missouri rebels, massacres by the Sioux Indians 
perpetrated against defenseless women and children, from 
without, "Copperheads," "Knights of the Golden Circle," 
"Sons of Liberty" — anti-abolition organizations — from with- 
in, .besides filling the quota of volunteers and raising the ne- 
cessary funds, thereto, were only a part of what Iowa had to 
contend with during the perilous four years. But there were 
always enough men in Iowa to preside over its affairs with 
due deliberation, to meet every contingency with the proper 
spirit, and lead every undertaking to a successful end; there 
were always plenty of courageous sons of Iowa to roll the 
millstone of progress up the hill without being dragged down- 



^4 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



ward. Governor Kirkwood assumed personal charge over 
all emergencies springing forth at such dangerous times and 
conducted them Lincoln-like; politcal differences were cast 
aside and merit was sought after when an appointment had 
to be made. Much to the glory of this state was the selec- 
tion of Nathaniel B. Baker, a former New' Hampshire gover- 
nor, who subsequently represented Clinton County in the 
Iowa legislature, as adjutant-general; it was he who made 
it possible for Iowa not to resort to drafting in complying 
with the president's calls for volunteers during Governor Kirk- 
wood's administration. 

An extra session of the legislature was called and deliberate 
action was taken toward the preservation of the Union. To 
that end bonds amounting to $800,000, were issued and prompt 
attention was paid to fill the quota of the first volunteers 
.to be sent to the front, as well as for the protection of the 
state itself from neighboring foes. 

Defeat — for such w^as the lot of the Federalists for a good 
long while — was drowned in a stream of hope for victory; 
and misfortune — somtething Iowa, at that time, had an abund- 
ance of — was covered beneath the raiment of faith. All that 
the lowans aimed at was to fight for the Union and preserve 
it, and upon the battlefield they had few equals; they were 
masters in the art of war since war became inevitable. 

At the close of the year 1861, this state had mustered to 
the front sixteen regiments of infantry, four regiments of 
cavalry and three batteries of light artillery, a total of 19,105 
men of valor. During the first year of the bloody conflict the 
Iowa boys forged their way to the front rank of bravery, hav- 



PRESERVATION OF THE UNION 25 

ing participated in the battles of Wilson Creek, Blue Mills and 
Belmont. 

The pillar of the Union was the Potomac Army, headed by 
General MacClellan, upon whom all eyes of the patriotic Fed- 
eralists were centered; but as the first year of the great 
campaign brought forth but little advantage to either party 
without a propsect in view to end the bitter conflict, MacClellan 
was subjected to very unpleasant censure and loud cries for 
a new star to appear upon the stage whereon the greatest 
tragedy in American history was in progress, filled the air of 
the Federal states. And the star appeared. U. S. Grant, of 
Illinois, was the name which cheered every sore heart of the 
patriotic Unionists and cast a gloom over every face of the 
hopeful Confederates. A single day's fighting elevated him to 
the pinnacle of heroism and, out of obscurity, he became one 
of the most famous of American generals. The memorable 
event took place on the i6th day of February, 1862, at Fort 
Donelson, which was so gallantly defended by General Buck- 
ner; the fort, 15,000 men, 60 cannons and other ammunition 
were surrendered to Grant and the day was his. Grant fought 
against the enemy with a purely western army, among whom 
four Iowa regiments were conspicuous in every charge. The 
war now became spirited; the menace of defeat roused the 
Southerners to their feet, and the delicious taste of victory 
invigorated the Northerners, so that the next clash between 
the opposing forces was anxiously looked for by both con- 
flicting parties. 

General Lee was now to become the Grant of the South. 
He planned an invasion on the National Capital and fight a 



26 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



decisive battle. MacQellan was to oppose him. The armies 
met, 300,000 strong. Life was at a much lesser price than 
death. He that did the most killing was to become the hero, 
the idol of the country, of the party for which he was fighting. 
Seven consecutive days of killing, killing and killing elapsed 
before victory could be claimed by either party; 20,000 lives 
were lost on the defeated side; widows, orphans, mourning 
mothers, bereaved sweethearts, aged fathers, loving sisters — 
who cared for their sighs? Lee became the hero, and happy 
was the parent who brought forth a son to die on the victor's 
side. No one could ever find out the exact number of lives 
lost on Lee's side, but it must have been enormous, indeed. The 
Potomac Army brought misfortune and disaster to the cause 
of the Unionists, and MacClellan became the scapegoat ; every 
Union state demanded his removal, there being hardly any man 
of note who considered his position coldly and offered anything 
to defend the unfortunate general. He failed to conquer, and 
he was to blame; he should have won, and he lost. Even 
Governor Kirkwood, after attending a convention at Altoona, 
Pa. (September 22, 1862), urged the removal of General 
MacClellan upon President Lincoln, but the latter sagely re- 
plied : "When I shall believe that his removal will benefit the 
country, I will remove him, but not till then.'* 

The second year of the war heaped disaster upon defeat 
and the pile of troubles upon the Union was so great that the 
Southerners saw it from a long distance and became confident 
in their success. At no time during the great combat was 
the South so hopeful, so sunny, and the North as hopeless, so 
dark, than during the i>eriod between the 9th of February 



PRESERVATION OF THE UNION 27 

and 15th of December, 1862. Besides the great disaster of 
the Potomac Army, defeats were sustained, during those 
perilous months, at South Mountain, Harper's Ferry, Antietam 
and Fredericksburg, leaving behind them in killed, wounded 
and captured, 30,620 men of arms. Even the most enthusiastic 
and staunch patriots were dismayed and hopeless as to the re- 
sult of the war. Perhaps Lincoln alone was certain of victory ; 
it might be his prophetic vision foretold him^ the happy end of 
his untiring efforts. His emancipation proclamation on Sep- 
tember 2nd, of that perilous year, his additional calls for volun- 
teers with the usual coldness of expression, his martial law 
declaration and the general magnanimity and sterling honesty 
which runs through every sentence therein, in connection with 
his calm and patient disposition displayed even at the most 
sensational moments, elevate him above his generation and 
establish him a safe position among the partriarchs of yore. 
Iowa, meantime, occupied a distinguished position on the 
center of the tragedical stage; her brave sons under General 
Rosecrans enjoyed the spoils of victories in Mississippi and 
cast a ray of sunshine amidst the gross darkness. Their heroic 
deeds at the battles of Corinth and luka will always be fresh in 
the minds of lowans recounting the gallantry of their soldiers. 
At the end of the year 1862, Iowa had mustered to the front 
forty regimlents of infantry, five regiments of cavalry and three 
batteries of artillery, a total of 48,814, victorious soldiers, who 
up till that time knew of no defeat. Strange indeed, not an 
Iowa soldier served in the Pbtomac Army before General 
Sheridan assumed command over it. 

The dawn of the year 1863, was greeted with President 



28 THE JEWS OF IOWA 

Lincoln's famous Proclamation freeing all negroes and declar- 
ing them allies to the Union, a step most cormnendable and 
easily recognized as the most important one since the beginning 
of the war; for, the invaluable services rendered to the Union 
by thousands of loyal colored men were certainly of great 
consequence to the cause of liberty. But the country failed to 
appreciate the wise steps of its great president. 

Instead, the administration was confronted with an unex- 
pected crisis, which was, in some degree, more dangerous than 
the common enemy. Certain anti-abolitionists alleging to be 
patriotic, began to denounce the president for conducting war 
and to menace the citizens with backward ideas by distributing 
all sorts of literature harmful to the cause of the Unionists. 
They were divided in three sections, under three different 
names — " Copper heads," " Knights of the Golden Circle," 
and " Sons of Liberty " — and their determination was to stir 
up the commoners, to attack the financial legislation of the 
government and, thereby, injure the credit of the Union, 
to upset the plans of the president and to mtaintain slavery. 
Most of the agitation was carried on secretly but at times they 
become violent and resorted to open demonstrations. Of 
course, among them were people with honest motives; seeing 
that tens of thousands were ]>eing slain by their own kindred 
on the battlefield, and as yet no peace, or victory, or acknowl- 
edged defeat, could be ascertained, while, already, more than 
two years had elapsed and neither of the parties were ready to 
yield the least from the original demands, they concluded to 
urge the public to compel the government to cease killing. 
But most of them were practically against the liberation of the 



PRESERVATION OF THE UNION 29 



slaves, and incited the people to overthrow the Lincoln ad- 
ministration in any event — at whatever cost. 

Iowa contributed no mean share to the anti-abolitionist 
m'ovement. Henry Clay Dean, with his Iowa-like gift of 
speech, brought about a good deal of concern for Lincoln and 
his associates, and contributed a goodly portion of uneasiness 
to the great heap of troubles the patriots had to contend with. 
George W. Jones, although later exonerated from the charge 
of treachery by Governor Kirkwood, caused much comment 
about his letter to Jefferson Davis, the president of the Con- 
federacy, and many were the victims who turned their backs 
to the mission of the Union on account of ex-Senator Jones. 
Neither was Iowa in its own territtory at ease from the agi- 
tators, and, had it not been for the sound-mindedness and 
prompt action of its war governor, the disturbance caused by 
the "Copperheads" would have brought about a civil war upon 
its own soil. 

A certain incony baptist preacher, named George C. Tally, 
of Keokuk county, who had a powerful voice and few sting- 
mg words at his command, became a disturbing character in 
his neighborhood and gained many ignorant followers, who 
were ready to spite the administration and finally became de- 
fiant. On a certain day while driving through South English 
with a band of his sympathizers, he began to denounce the 
president publicly, and an open riot ensued which resulted in 
his death. His followers thereupon organized an army bear- 
ing his name, and concluded to wage open warfare against the 
whole district. But the governor suppressed their move by 
ordering out eleven companies of militia to march upon the 



30 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



scene which was held under terror by the Tally Army. The 
latter, however, were calmed by an attorney named Negus, who 
discouraged the projected war by telling the leaders that the 
governor's soldiers would certainly shoot the first one of them 
who might attempt to make the least outbreak. And the Tally 
army was sorely afraid, and disbanded. 

Meantime the progress of the war was no better, if not 
worse, for the Union than hitherto. The first attempt, at the 
beginning of the year 1863, to check the march of Lee's army 
by General Hooker, with a part of the Potomac Army, ended 
disasterously ; the latter was overwhelmingly defeated and the 
Potomac Army became entirely unfit for action. Re-enforc- 
ment was badly needed. Pl"esident Lincoln called on the states 
of New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and 
Ohio for 120,000 volunteers in order to re-enforce the Potomac 
Army and let it try its fortune again under General Meade, 
who now undertook to restrain the advance of Lee if only 
enough men will be gathered at his command. 

The time for the turning point of the war was at hand; 
the Potomac Army, re-enforced, with a new and courageous 
commander at its head, was to redeem itself shortly. General 
Meade, picturing the calamities of the past and foreseemg 
the possible ruin of the future, realizing that the fate of the 
Union depended upon his courage, became desparate like unto 
a wounded lion and, with him were carried the hearts of all his 
soldiers. General Lee, fresh from victories, looking with pride 
upon the splendid record his army had made, and picturing 
before him the garlands of a future victory, rushed to the 
battlefield as like unto a triumphant march without even con- 



PRESERVATION OF THE UNION 31 

sidering a possible defeat. The opposing forces met, and the 
greatest slaughter of the camipaign began. Gettysburg was 
destined to become the Waterloo of the Confederacy ; there did 
the sound of Union overwhelm the shouts of rebellion, and 
there the most patriotic battle in the annals of nations was 
fought. Lee was defeated. Such a defeat even Napoleon 
could pride himself in. The colors of Confederacy were afloat 
as long as fighting could be of any avail — but mortals can 
only sacrifice their lives for their cause, not alter the decree 
of God. Defeat was admitted on the third day of July, 1863, 
but not before leaving the bodies of 30,000 patriotic heroes 
upon that famous battlefield. The Potomac Army, under Gen- 
eral Meade, redeemed itself gallantly but even their losses 
numbered in the thousands, and upon the bloody ground the 
Blue and Gray shared one fate. 

Notw^ithstanding this, the joy and enthusiasm of the Un- 
ionists and the sorrow and disheartening of the Confederates, 
did not reach a real climax until July 4th of that memor- 
able year, when the victory of Vicksburg by Grant was heralded 
from Atlantic to Pacific, from the Potomac to the Gulf. The lat- 
ter victory was a greater blow to the Confederacy than the de- 
feat of Lee, although it took some time before Grant received 
the proper acclaim of the people. But neither Meade nor Grant 
discouraged entirely the Southern patriots, and the war was 
yet far from being at an end. Defeats were also the lot of the 
Federalists in 1863; the loss of 18,000 men at Chickamauga 
under Rosecrans, who fought a desparate battle against Gen- 
eral Bragg, contributed no mean share in humoring the Con- 
federates. Only Grant sustained no serious defeats during 



5i THF JEWS OF IOWA 

the greatest fighting year, albiet he also was at times repulsed 
with heavy losses. But his victories were the most important 
ones ; one needs only recount his bravery in conquering Chatta- 
nooga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, to learn 
his greatness in the art of war. 

Iowa's part during the bloodiest period of the Civil War 
was acted in the enemy's country under Grant and Rosecrans, 
and whenever bravery was to be tested the Iowa boys were 
first to appear. A volume of interesting reading could be filled 
by the writer of Iowa history describing the patriotism, self- 
sacrificing spirit, zeal and enthusiasm displayed at every charge 
wherein Iowa soldiers participated. They should have been 
a disappointment had they proved otherwise; for they were 
all volunteers without having been drafted or urged to go to 
war, arid every one of them were of the best sons Iowa 
afforded. Till the end of the year 1863, which was also the 
closing period of Governor Kirkwood's administration Iowa 
had not resorted to drafting, every quota having 
been filled without a resenting voice against the chief 
executive. Governor Kirkwood and General Baker 
raised, organized and mustered into the field forty regiments 
of infantry, nine regiments of cavalry and four batteries of 
artillery. Up till the year 1864, many disturbances occurred 
in different parts of the state; sometimes on account of local 
differences, but mostly because of invading rebels, lawless 
deserters or ravenous Indians: but the wise and upright ad- 
ministration of Kirkwood hindered all serious outbreaks and 
retarded much distress before it was spread to a point of 
danger. On January 14th, 1864, Stone was inaugurated into 



PRESERVATION OF THE UNION 33 

office to succeed Governor Kirkwood and from that day Iowa 
had to resort to drafting in filling the quota of the president's 
calls, although actual drafting was not practiced before July 
18, 1864, when the president issued a call for 500,000 addi- 
tional volunteers. 

The last year of the war witnessed many distressing scenes 
on both sides ; famine, lawlessness and pollution was very com- 
mon in many parts of the country, while discouragement, 
anxiety and anger prevailed even among the better classes, 
but this was to be expected; the evil the country was in- 
dulging was only circumstantial and, seeing the good the 
country had derived, one must not censure or bewail the by- 
gone misconduct of a youthful country which was striving for 
the highest principle, sanctioned by Almighty — for liberty. 

The preceding year had foretold the result of the war to 
war experts, but the masses on both sides were as changeable 
in their predictions as the fortune of war itself. Lee, mean- 
time, re-enforced his army and strengthened his confidence in 
final victory, notwithstanding the repeated defeats of his associ- 
ates and of the great defeat he himself had experienced. Grant, 
who had become the idol of the Union, was created Lieutenant- 
General and assumed command of the Potomac Army on 
March ist, 1864, and from that day the cause of Confederacy, 
even amongst its former adherents, commenced to decline. 

Election time was now approaching and herein a fair test 
as to the endorsement of the people of Lincoln's administra- 
tion could be foreseen. Lincoln was renominated at Baltimore, 
Maryland, on June 8, and General MacClellan was nominated 
to oppose him. The contest was spirited throughout the Union 
and the opponents of the adminstration numbered in thousands 



34 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



in every state, not only because of the inefficiency of the chief 
executive in conducting the war, but because of conducting the 
war at all. The "Copperheads" and all other ''heads," block- 
heads included, swarmed everywhere, and the war, even the 
latest news of the battlefield, was read without comment, the 
chief issue of the country being the election. 

Iowa followed the current of the timtes and the footsteps 
of its sister states ; or, still more proper, it originated many 
things unknown to other states in denouncing the president's 
policy. A peace convention was called at Iowa City on August 
24th, and the war and the president were denounced, as danger- 
ous to liberty and happiness. But when election day came 
about and the votes were counted it was discovered that Iowa 
knew what it was fighting for. Lincoln received 88,966 votes 
to MacClellan's 49,586 votes. Thus did the voice of the peo- 
ple sanction every action of the president. 

At last came the final day which has united this glorious 
land never to be separated. The spring of 1865 dawned with 
crowning victory and brought forth garlands of glory uf>on 
the heads of those who fought for Union against rebellion. 
for liberty against slavery, for principle against gain . On the 
3rd day of April, came the end of the great war, and gladdened 
millions of hearts throughout the country, that peace will 
be established, that all Americans will again live together like 
brother and brother, that commerce and industry will again 
flourish, that the sword will be turned into a plowshare and 
the spear into a pruning hook, and the home shall again be 
blessed with the reign of peacefulness. The surrender of 
Richmond by General Lee to General Grant will live forever 
in the memories, aye, in the hearts, of all Americans. 



PRESERVATION OF THE UNION 35 

Iowa's quota to the national army was 86,600 men of war, 
fourteen distinguished generals and many scores of other 
officers, most of whom have attained afterward national and 
international prominence. The list of great lowans is too great 
to be enumerated by name in this chapter, which is only a 
sketch of the chief events during the Civil War. Suffice it to 
say that David B. Henderson, ex-Speaker of the national house 
of representatives, was only a colonel in the Union Army. 

Iowa in war time was as great as it is in time of peace, and 
greater yet, because it has then utilized all its resources of brain 
and muscle. This state, was, therefore, first to rejoice and 
celebrate the happy end of the four years' fighting, first to re- 
sume a normal appearance upon its cornfields, first to regain 
tranquility at its public offices and — first to bewail the un- 
timely loss of the great leader, Lincoln, who was assassinated 
April 14, 1865, while at Ford's Theatre, Washington, D. C. 
The same metal-lead, which had struck down and blotted out 
the evil of slavery, killed the greatest champion of liberty 
since Moses. 



36 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER IV. 



IOWA S PERIOD OF EVOLUTION. 



Constitution Amended — President Johnson — Iowa's Congress- 
men on His Impeachment — Rapid Reconstruction in Iowa 
— Grasshoppers — State PoHtics — Grant's Administrations 
— Iowa Gypsum — Growth of Population — Horace Greely 
— Woman's Suffrage — Grange Law — Hayes and Tilden — 
Prosperity in Iowa — Assassination of Garfield. 

Abraham Lincoln carried the divine mission of liberty to 
his country with the spirit of a hero and saint combined; he 
delivered the heavenly message of freedom to the American 
people with sacred words mingled with a thunderlike clamor 
of deadly cannons, and counselled his fellow citizens with a pro- 
phetic wisdom and patriarchal patience amidst distractions of 
an impetuous war. But no sooner was life quenched from him 
than many impediments obstructed the path of progress, and 
no sooner were his remains deposited beneath the surface of 
the earth, than many problems perplexing the minds of his fol- 
lowers were unearthed. Millions of freed slaves, a conquered 
enemy who was to be dealt with brother-like, a controverting 
president, hundreds of thousands of orphans, widows and dis- 
abled soldiers, a national debt amounting tO' millions of do'llars 
and a people reduced to poverty and demoralization were the 



IOWA'S PERIOD OF EVOLUTION 37 

enigmas of the hour. Only Lincolnian doctrines, intrusted in 
the hands of Americans, with a republican form of govern- 
ment to their aid, could be carried to the summit of success, 
could withstand the terriffic opposition of all directions, and 
come out triumphant at the end. Congress convened, and the 
groundwork for the reconstruction of the Republic was, to 
amend the Constitution and prohibit slavery throughout the 
country, forever. Then, after many discreditable struggles be- 
tween Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson, and Congress, 
the country in general regained its tranquility and commenced 
on its forward march among the mightiest nations of the earth 
until it reached the topmost position. 

Iowa joined the ranks of the Lincoln forces in every na- 
tional question; its own constitution was amended by striking 
out the word white thereof, thus prohibiting slavery and grant- 
ing suffrage to the negroes at the same time. The Iowa dele- 
gation in Congress, even Hiram Price, a democrat, voted for 
the amendment, and when the President vetoed the ''Civil 
Right" and the "Bureau for the Relief of Freedmen" bills, 
they voted to pass over his vetoing. In fact, Iowa was very 
conspicuous during the famous fight between the President 
and Congress ; for James Harlon, upon the failure of Johnson 
to carry out the wishes of the republicans, resigned from the 
Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior — a step which caused all 
patriotic republicans to rise in indignation against the Presi- 
dent. And, at the Twelfth General Assembly, a resolution was 
passed in favor of President Johnson's impeachment, although 
when the vote was taken in the House, after it had been re- 
ferred to the Judiciary Committee, Allison, Dodge, Hubbard 



38. THE JEWS OF IOWA 



and Wilson, voted against impeachment. Even at Johnson's 
second trial before. the Senate, after the House had voted for 
impeachment by a margin of 128 to 57, James K. Grimes was 
among the nineteen who voted to acquit the unfortunate, or 
stubborn President, although he knew that such an action 
would inflame his party in Iowa. President Johnson was bare- 
ly acquitted in lieu of a two-thirds majority for his conviction, 
but it well may be said that either his deeds or his enemies' 
misdeeds caused him to become an object of scorn as long as 
he was the incumbent of the executive chair. 

Meantime, Iowa at home, notwithstanding the political 
variance, made many strides forward to erase the stain left be- 
hind the war. The total war expense for this state was $1 ,046,- 
739.99, and the total indebtedness was $622,295.75, and 
only about $300,000 was due this state from the Federal gov- 
ernment, added to this was the loss of thousands of industrious 
citizens and a general depopulation, all of which gave much 
concern to the administration of this state. All Iowa needed 
for its reconstruction were men with the plow, and to that end 
immigration was greatly encouraged, and happy w^as he who 
came to this state and a plow was in his stage. Science was 
heartily supported in order to promote the geological knowl- 
edge of the state, so that its resources might be discovered and 
unfolded for development. On the 3rd day of March, 1867, ^ 
Soldiers' Orphans Home was organized by a private corpora- 
tion with headquarters at Davenport, but the State Legislature 
appropriated $25,000 and levied a tax for the maintenance of 
the institution. In the same year it was also shown that the 
income for the first two years after the war amounted to $1,- 
365,158.57, and the debt of the state was reduced to $385,000. 



IOWA'S PERIOD OF EVOLUTION 39 

And, although many were the political strifes that year, Sam- 
uel Merrill, the republican candidate, was elected governor. 
The degraded condition of the poorer classes was gradually bet- 
tered and many items of benevolence, such as the erection of a 
reform school and an asylum for the deaf and dumb, were 
recommended by Governor Stone before stepping out of office. 

During the year 1867, this state, for the first time in its his- 
tory, was visited by a plague, in the form of grasshoppers, 
which proved very unpleasant to about forty counties ; myriads 
of these gaudy-looking, hungry creatures swarmed wherever 
there were things digestable for them. And when they could not 
resist the Iowa winter climate they departed in the direction of 
the Rocky Mountains, whence they came. At their first 
call the lowans were only amazed and but little angry because 
of obscuring the beautiful sunbeams and withholding sunshine 
from thousands of farm houses, but when they came again, in 
1873, fifteen of Iowa's prosperous counties were practically 
left without crops enough for the sustenance of their own in- 
habitants, and the good ajutant-general of the Civil War, N. 
B; Baker, had to organize a relief committee in order to allevi- 
ate the sufferings of the stricken farmers. 

Politically, Iowa went republican, giving Grant 120,399 
votes, and Seymour 74,040 votes, albeit the issues and candi- 
dates were numerous and the attacks upon the republicans very 
severe. As soon as the election was disposed of, Iowa busied 
itself in protecting the farmers from being extorted by the rail- 
road campanies in freight rates; the debates on the subject grew 
intensely hot in both branches of the Legislature, but owing to 
the fact that Iowa needed more railroads, no final measure was 



40 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



taken and prosecution was deferred for a later period. Merril 
was renominated and as there were no new issues the campaign 
was a dull one, and he w^as elected over George Gillaspy, his 
democratic opponent, by 40,000 majority. Among Iowa Sen- 
ators quite a change had taken place ; Kirkwood filled the short 
term till March, 1867, ^^d James Harlan, after resigning from 
the Cabinet, was elected for six years from that date, but he 
now resigned and it was at this time that Wm. B. Allison be- 
came conspicuous in Iowa politics. He was a strong candidate 
to fill the long term in the United States Senate, but was defeat- 
ed by Geo. G. Wright, James B. Howell being elected to fill 
the short term. In 1871, C. C. Carpenter was chosen Gover- 
nor, over his opponent, J. C. Knapp, by a good majority and 
Wm. B. Allison was elected to serve in the U. S. Senate, a full 
term. The contest in Legislature was probably the most inter- 
esting one in Iowa, as his opponents were James F. Wilson and 
James Harlan, two of Iowa's favorite sons; but the younger 
republicans favored Allison and — they were right. 

The progress of Iowa during Grant's first administration 
was very remarkable; railroads were built, farms were on the 
increase, and the men, women and children were happy. 
In two years — 1867-69, — the wealth of the state increased 
by $38,000,000 and the total value of real property 
amounted to $294,530,199, and even then hardly one- 
third of Iowa's fertile soil was under cultivation. The pro- 
ducts of the farm were plentiful, but the difficulties came in 
when the farmers had to sell it. The transportation rates were 
extortionate and the markets far off, so that a general murmur 
could be heard, and a cry to improve navigation filled the air of 
the northwest. A convention, represented by delegates from 



IOWA'S PERIOD OF EVOLUTION 41 

the states of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, was held on Nov. 
II, 1869, at Dubuque, Iowa, and navigation between the 
Great Lakes and the Mississippi river was strongly urged, and 
an appropriation of Congress was demanded to improve the 
Fox and Wisconsin rivers and the Michigan Channel. The 13th 
General Assembly created a State Board of Immigration to en- 
courage homeseekers from the east and from Europe to come, 
settle and work in Iowa, and all m^eans of commodiousness 
were provided for the newcomers. High schools, colleges and 
other institutions were built and supported and every precaution 
was taken to utilize the people's money for their advantage. 

About that time (1870) the then village and the 
present picturesque city of Fort Dodge, furnished a good 
deal of entertainment for the whole country, and 
many were the vicitms of the huge joke brought 
about by a couple of enterprising swindlers. In 
Cardiff, near Syracuse, New York, lived a certain Mr. Newell 
and on a certain day workmen ''found" an alleged "giant" 
while digging on his farm. A curious crowd, ready to believe 
everything, believed that it certainly was the embalmed re- 
mains of an ancient giant. What follow^ed might be justly at- 
tributed to the ignorance and superstition of mankind in gen- 
eral. For months crowds kept on pouring in thousands of 
dollars in the hands of the fakers for a mere glance at the 
''American Goliath" ("Newell's Creature" would sound bet- 
ter) and all those scientists, whose investigations were limited 
to the extent of pleasing the fancy of the everlasting believers 
only, busied themselves getting out volumes concerning the 
''petrified giant." It took lowans to describe the genealogy 



42 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



of the alleged giant, for they knew that his nativity was 
Iowa, his cradle Fort Dodge and his antiquity, not older than 
the cunning plan of the subtile mind of that Cardiff farmer. 
The giant was made of the gypsum near Fort Dodge, and, since 
then, that precious clay became part of Iowa's wealth. 

Iowa's population in 1870 according to the national census 
of that year, was 1,191,720, and its rank among the great 
states was as follows : product of corn, fourth ; wheat, fifth ; 
in live stock, sixth ; and the value of its real property amounted 
to $302,515,418, while the aggregate value of farm products 
w^as $114,386,441. It is apparent that in less than five years 
the increase of the population of this state amounted to one- 
third, for, right after the census returns were published, the 
state Legislature made a demand to create three additional con- 
gressional districts to the existing — six. No state or county of 
any other continent can boast of such splendid record and 
matchless progress, and no race on earth has ever gained as 
much by the implements of husbandry in a single decade. 

Liberaliism is partly responsible for the success of Iowa 
and lov/ans in general, and it might justly be said that the 
Hawkeye State never suffered the want of broadmindedness. 
Corporal punishment was abolished (January, 1872) at the 
same session when the establishment of libraries was strongly 
urged and a woman's suffrage bill overwhelmningly defeated. 
Those legislators certainly knew the extreme point of radical- 
ism when they saw it, for they have refused to adorn the poll- 
huts with the goddess of the home. 



IOWA'S PERIOD OF EVOLUTION 43 

Presidential year was now at hand, and the campaign was 
a promising one indeed. Horace Greely, the famous editor, 
was the democratic nominee to oppose President Grant, the 
eminent soldier, whom the republicans had renominated. That 
must have been the most lofty struggle between the "pen" and 
the ''sword" in modern history. And, in addition tO' other min- 
or parties, the Labor Reform party made its initial appearance 
as a national factor, all of which added interest to the fight 
between the real stars. Alas, it ended too sadly, the hero of the 
pen died before the electoral college met to cast their votes for 
the different candidates. Grant received a good sized major- 
ity throughout the United States, Iowa yielding him a plurali- 
ty of 45,000. In 1873, Governor Carpenter was re-elected 
against his opponent, Jacob Vail, who ran on a ''woman's suf- 
frage" platform; but the republican majority fell to a much 
smaller margin than usual, while the democrats gained many 
members in both branches of the Legislature and a hot contest 
between the two great parties over the feminine emancipation 
question became imminent. When a speaker had to be chosen 
to preside over the Fifteenth General Assembly 152, ballots 
had to be taken before John H. Gear wes declared elected. 

In the early Seventies, a current organization known as 
'The Patrons of Husbandry" was founded in Washington, D. 
C, and, as its object was to promote co-operation among the 
peasants and laborers as well as among small mer- 
chants, its fame was spread throughout the land, 
lowans recognized in the organization valuable ma« 
terial for their protection and they commenced to 
organize "Granges," or branches in every place where 



44 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



a sufficient number to constitute a Grange could be gath- 
ered. In 1870, more than 500, Granges existed in this state, 
and, having grown strong and numerous, they became a factor 
in state poHtics and selected their friends and sympathizers to 
represent them in Legislature. And it came to pass that when 
the Fifteenth General Assembly finally elected a speaker, the 
majority of the representatives agreed that it was high time to 
stop the railroad com.panies from taking advantage over the 
farmers. G. R. Willet introduced a bill to check the tide of the 
magnates, and protect the humble classes. The bill gained prom- 
inence and it finally became the famous "Grange Law." It 
was a hard fight against an abnoxious stonewall, but the leg- 
islators went from strength to strength and the railroad com- 
panies had to succumb. Strange indeed^ the same Assembly 
adopted resolutions favoring woman's suffrage. 

Both of Governor Carpenter's administrations were com- 
mendable, for the state increased in wealth and in population, 
in order and education as \\ell as in good government. Near- 
ly 500,000, children of school age, a permanent school fund of 
$3,294,743.83, and over 1,500,000 happy inhabitants were what 
Iowa could boast of at the end of his second administration. 
After him,Kirkwood, the "Old War Governor," reappeared up- 
on the scene of Iowa history. Many noted candidates were pro- 
posed, but no sooner was the name Kirkwood mentioned before 
the memorable State Convention of 1875, than all delegates 
were enchanted and after defeating his chief opponent, General 
James B. Weaver, on the first ballot, his nomination was made 
unanimous. His democratic opponent was Shepherd Leffier, 
and Rev. John H. Lo^zier gained prominence as Temperance 



IOWA'S PERIOD OF EVOLUTION 45 

candidates. Kirkwood was elected by a fair majority, but he 
resigned on March 4, 1877, to take a seat in the U. S. Senate, 
for he was the choice of the i6th General Assembly, leaving 
the executive chair for the Lieutenant-Governor, J. C. New- 
bold. His third administration was marked by the comple- 
tion of the canal around the rapids of the Mississippi river near 
Keokuk, which the Federal Government had built at a cost of 
$4,281,000, and by creating a precedent to relieve convicts on 
parole. Financially that administration was a failure, for the 
appropriations of the Sixteenth General Assembly were im- 
mense, creating a debt of $90,000, in excess of the constitu- 
tional limit, notwithstanding the fact that the taxes for that 
year amounted to $10,699,762.39. 

During the year 1876, the American nation was engaged 
in creating issues, debating and combating the monetary sys- 
tem of the land, solving labor, prohibitionary and social prob- 
lems, and selecting candidates, standard bearers for the respec- 
tive parties, who might bring about party success, who might 
bring about glory upon the various constituents. It was elec- 
tion year, the most remarkable one in American history. The 
ante-convention days and ante-election monts were spent in 
speaking and listening, listening and speaking; some because 
O'f the good of their country, of their homes and fam- 
ilies, others because of gaining political fame, ncteriety, 
a fat job, a pull and the like. The cunning voice and 
the magic gesture of the politician, of the statesman, 
of the candidate, charmed the voters from Golden Hill 
to Devil's Lake, from the Hudson to the' Buffalo bayou; 
every nomination, every speech of acceptance, every gain, every 
estimate was heralded from the Cripple Creek hills to the 



46 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Horse-shoe Valley, from the St. Croix river to the Apache 
mountains. Ruthford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden were 
the stars of the political stage, besides many lesser lights who 
were created to give light in those habitations which were pos- 
sessed of naive ideas and innovating issues notwithstanding 
their forlorn hopes. Election day appeared and disappeared; 
its creation was a monstrous image of hope and doubt. Who 
is elected ? Tildon. Who is elected ? Hayes. Tildon, Hayes, 
Hayes, Tildon, were the ringing notes of the political harps 
the day after; doubt and hope mingled and swelled the heart 
of each candidate. Blows, names, slang, drinks, bets, accusa- 
tions, denunciations, peace, reason, pleading, counsel and com- 
promise were turned into a gigantic whirl and swept the coun- 
try. Was it fun, sport? Was it the fruit of intoxicated hap- 
piness, of too much liberty ? Or was it the voice of the people, 
their right, that was demanded ? It was all combined. 

Back in Iowa lived George W. McCray and his friends had 
sent him to Congress. His common sense brought about a 
final settlement, or rather, a partisan decision; in Congress, 
Hayes received the majority of one, and the Supreme Court, al- 
so by a partisan vote, sustained him and he was declared Pres- 
ident. Tilden had a popular majority of 250,950 over Hayes 
and it well may be said that the democrats of the land never 
behaved better nor proved themselves more philosophical than 
when that partisan decision was respected. Such is the great- 
ness of America. 

George W. McCray was fairly remunerated. Hayes ap- 
pointed him Secretary of War. Nevertheless the President 
found little grace in the eyes of Iowa republicans, as the next 



IOWA'S PERIOD OF EVOLUTION 47 

State Convention defeated a resolution to endorse his admin- 
istration, chiefly due to personal disfavor than inability of fill- 
ing the office. John H. Gear was the next Iowa Governor. 

During a convention in 1877, a very significant and some- 
what whimsical resolution was offered by the Woman's Suf- 
frage Society, part of which was as follov>^s : "Whereas the bal- 
lot is necessary to uproot many evils which afilict society and 
Whereas, women are deprived of this potent, silent power, 
therefore, Resolved, that it is not the duty of woman to con- 
tribute to the support of the clergy who oppose their enfran- 
chisement" It is not on record whether some minister in Iowa, 
on the following Sunday after that convention, cited Isaiah III, 
12, where the prophet counsels Israel, saying: "As for my 
people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over 
them, O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and 
destroy the way of thy path." Surely our children would op- 
press us if we had to watch them while our wives would exe- 
cute their "potent power" at the polls. 

The Seventeenth General Assembly repealed the Grange 
Law, and, this time it was for the benefit of the ruralists, who, 
by the force of strong organization of railroad magnates, were 
rendered helpless. It was a fierce strife between boasting cap- 
itailists and struggling toilers and the latter had to yield in or- 
der to be spared. The companies threatened to withdraw from 
this state and even to abandon the roads already under progress 
of construction, and the producers, being in sore.want of means 
of transportation, could do no better than bear their trials meek- 
ly. They were forced, either by circumstances or by a well 
organized machine, into submissiveness. 



48 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



The general condition of the state prior to 1880, was mark- 
ed with nothing out of the ordinary to stir the i>eople, 
excepting a great rainfall (August 28, 1877J the kind of 
which lowans never witnessed, a loss of about $3,500,000, from 
a cholera in swine and a great decline in sheep raising. The 
steady growth of the population and the increase of wealth as 
well as railroad mileage continued uninterruptedly, and educa- 
tion kept pace with the general spirit of the age. Every new 
implement and invention of merit was patronized in Iowa, and 
every means of reform and diminishing of crime was prompt- 
ly adopted in every municipality. 

Politically everything w^ent along republican lines despite 
the presence of a minority which was always creating new 
issues, sometimes of extreme radicalism and sometimes of a 
very ancient nature, but they never changed the history of the 
state in the least, they faded and disappeared like soap bubbles. 
A Greenback party arose in 1876, and it was very conspicuous 
in its days, having succeeded once in aiding the democrats to 
elect General James B. Weaver to Congress, but that party 
had but a shart carreer in this country although it was very 
bold in its days. Free coinage of silver at the ratio of 412^ 
grains, was inserted in a democratic platform at a state cour 
vention held in Council Bluffs May 21, 1879, and, although the 
distance is very short, it took almost 16 years before one tow^n 
in Nebraska, Lincoln, became famous by a free silver platform. 

Governor Gear succeeded himself, and it w^as during his 
second administration that an lowan was distinguished to be a 
Presidential nominee. General James B. Weaver was nominat- 
ed by the Greenback party of the United States and he made 



IOWA'S PERIOD OF EVOLUTION 49 

that party famous in its days. He received the largest vote ever 
given to any minor candidate in this country and his fame as 
an orator of high rank became known throughout the land. 
The principal candidates were Gen. Garfield on the republican 
ticket and W. S. Hancock on the democratic ticket. Garfield 
was elected, but another tragedy was to cast a gloom over the 
American people. Again the hand of an assassin murdered an 
American President. And, unlike Lincoln, Garfield suffered 
between life and death from the 2nd day of July till the 19th 
day of September, 1881. Queer, indeed, are the ways of God, 
but His command must be obeyed ! 



50 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER V. 

GOLDEN AGE OF IOWA. 

Rapid Progress in Iowa — Issues — Liquor Problem — Gover- 
nor Boies — Iowa Legislation — Cleveland and Hard Times 
— Iowa Statistics — Iowa Statesmen — Senator Allison — 
— Triumph of Republicans — Governor Cummins Ardent 
Friend of Israel. 

The last two decades of the Twentieth Century ratified the 
almost fabulous assertion that there are no impossibilities un- 
der the sun, and permanently established the belief that every- 
thing of the universe, excepting the tree of life, which is still 
guided by heavenly cherubim with a revolving sword, might be 
conquered by the human mind. Never before has the tree of 
knowledge appeared in such wholesome blooming, or its fruit 
in such abundant quantities, as today. Never before was the 
presence of an immortal soul in the human body more appar- 
ent, or the infinite power of God more revealed, than when the 
chosen creature of Jehovah fathomed the depth of the sea, 
measured the length of the earth, and harnessed the vast space 
of the expanse to transmit his thought throughout the four 
corners of the world, with steam, steel and electricity. Happy 
are they who were created in this wonderful age, to behold the 
glory of their ■Maker, the mysteries of Nature, and the craft of 



GOLDEN AGE OF lUWA 51 



their fellowmen, incorporating the whole world into one im- 
mense paradise where the communicableness of the entire hu- 
man family might lead them to friendlier intercourses and 
finally to one brotherhood. 

Indeed, France with her romantic attractiveness and revo- 
lutionary zeal, England with her poetical picturesqueness and 
imperialistic tendencies, and Germany wath her philosophical 
brains and endless love for the fatherland were first to take the 
initiative in marching forward after the trend of the age; nev- 
ertheless, were it not for American inventions, commercialism 
and republicanism, Paris, London and Berlin, wdth all their 
radicalism, would have gone nO' further than Athens, Rome 
and Jerusalem, in their days, did go-. In the prusiit of individ- 
ual and communal happiness America easily leads all nations, 
and the world's indebtedness to this country can, and will, be 
paid when Americanism will head the program of every 
educational institution on the globe. 

America itself is the greatest of all wonders; the entire 
human race, with every kind of habit, custom, mannerism, 
dress and language, is represented in every metropolis, 
and the confusion of speech and radical prejudices are 
plentiful, and yet, how wonderful is the change between 
father and son, mother and daughter! Classification is 
confined to the passing generation only, for all the young ones 
mingle together in the schools, on the streets and amusement 
places, and finally pursue the common happiness of their na- 
tive land; hence, but in one generation all differences disap- 
pear. . 



52 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



The greatness of America — if it might be attributed to 
any particular cause — undoubtedly lies in the power of self- 
government of every municipality, county and state, of having 
local executive, legislative and judiciary control of everything 
pertaining to the weal of the governed, so that every group of 
people might govern themselves according to their own wishes. 
It, therefore, occurs very frequently that one community will 
take exception to a certain institution or principle which an- 
other approved of, and vica versa. Local issues vary in every 
state and only such issues as are apt to figure in national poli- 
tics are ever brought to light before a convention of an inter- 
state character. Nevertheless, most paramount issues of every 
national campaign were born in distant towns, sometimes even 
of insignificant minds; a farmer sees the necessity of a certain 
change, talks about it to his neighbor, instructs his county del- 
egate to secure all honorable means to push it to the front and 
— the issue grows. 

Thus, since the inauguration of Chester A. Arthur, in the 
chair of the lamented Garfield, this country was confronted 
with numerous issues touching the very vitality of the Repub- 
lic. The rapid increase of the population, wealth and foreign 
influence created the problems and issues, and every import- 
ant question was to be dealt with promptly and accurately. 
In Iowa, the issues, after Buren R. Sherman became gov- 
ernor, were numerous, but the main question of the hour was, 
*'to drink or not to drink," around which all other problems 
revolved. And, although the same question was fascin- 
ating the minds of all sober minded lowans for almost a gen- 
eration, no decisive measures were taken by any preceding 



GOLDEN AGE OF IOWA 53 

session of the Legislature to read it. But now it was prosecut- 
ed vigorously and the final step was made when the Constitu- 
tion was amended to prohibit the decoction of spirit from rye 
or grapes and the sale thereof within the boundaries of the 
Hawkeye state. But the law appeared too- rigorous in the 
minds of the judiciary authorities of Iowa and, in 1883, a 
Court decision annulled the amendment by declaring it un- 
constitutional and, ever since, the prohibitory laws were grad- 
ually abrogated. And, the liquor problem — that monstrous 
evil which destroys the happiness of the home and ruins the 
careers of the great and small alike — is still the curse of 
mothers and children, of the repentant criminals and fallen 
women. But it will require a stronger force and greater 
unanimity than the anti-Saloon League and temperance so- 
cieties to deliver the helpless victims from the mighty grip of 
alcoholism. 

Sherman was re-elected, but with such reduced plurality 
as to cause alarm among the leading republicans of the state, 
because of having inserted a temperance plank in their last 
platform. About that time tlie capitol was completed, and the 
first vote taken in the new" and magnificient headquarters, by 
the 20th General Assembly, was to defeat a womans' suffrage 
bill which had been approved in the previous Assembly, thus 
doing away with woman politics indefinitely. 

A general political revolution was the next chief event of 
this country; Grover Cleveland, the most successful democrat 
since the overthrow of Confederacy, won a decisive victory 
over James G. Blaine, his superior in grace of oratory and 
statesmanship. Even Iowa's usual republican majority in 



54 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



national elections was comparatively reduced and much per- 
plexity reigned among the republican ranks the day after. 
But local politics as yet suffered no decisive loss, for William 
Larrabee was elected governor over his democratic opponent, 
Charles F. Whiting, who was backed by the combined. forces of 
the democrats and greenbackers. 

A noteworthy example of justice, which might serve as a 
specimen of legislative forebearance in endeavoring to bring 
the truth to light, happened in Iowa during the session of the 
2ist General Assembly; J. L. Brown, Auditor of State un- 
der Governor Sherman, neglected his duty in lapsing a short- 
age of the treasury, and, after his inefficiency appeared to be 
beyond a reasonable doubt in the eyes of the governor, he was 
unceremoniously impeached. Now his cause, for he still 
claimed his right of office, was tal<en up in the Legislature. 
Thirty articles of impeachment were brought in against him, 
but when every article was considered and analyzed, his hon- 
or was restored, and accordingly his reinstatement was ordered 
at once. 

The progress and prosperity of Iowa continued uninter- 
ruptedly and its increase in population was remarkably heavy, 
and, with the exception of a violent tornado on June 17, 1882, 
and havoc storms during the fall and winter of that year, caus- 
ing much damage to property and orchards, nothing out of the 
ordinary came to pass tO' check the march of progress pursued 
by the enterprising lowans. Railroads, factories, machine 
shops, wholesale establishments, all sorts of modern inventions 
and agricultural implements, institutions, benevolent and oth- 
erwise, churches, hospitals, and private colleges became num- 



GOLDEN AGE OF IOWA 55 

erous, above all the school houses and teachers — the founda- 
tion of modern bliss — were very conspicuous and told the 
greatness of loAva. In 1885, an educational census was taken 
and the following result was obtained : 

Children of school age. . . . 638,156 
Children attending school. . 480,788 

No. of school houses 12,444 

Teachers 24,675 

School fund $4,187,839.94 

The above figures speak volumes for Iowa, and although 
much may be said in censuring some branches of Iowa laws 
regarding railroads, divorces and the like, one cannot find, 
anywhere in the world, a group of over two millions of peo- 
ple with such an abundance of prosperity, happiness and civil- 
ization. 

During the next gubernatorial campaign, the laboring men 
appeared in a political garb, and a local ticket was nominated 
and placed for consideration for the first time in the history of 
this state. William Larrabee was re-elected governor, not- 
withstanding the general democratic tendencies of the country 
at large. The ofiice of Railroad Commissioner was created at 
the 22nd General Assembly and the result was a closer rela- 
tionship and better understanding between the railroad mag- 
nate and the state ; but even unto this day the railroad influence 
is always predominating the election of state officers, as well 
as the selection of Congressmen. 

A sudden change in Iowa politics came to pass at the end 
of Larrabee's second term, and all republican leaders amazed, 
angry and preplexed, had to retire and watch the progress or 
check the tide, of democratic triumphs. And, although, in 



56 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



national politics, the democrats sustained a defeat, for Cleve- 
land was badly beaten by Benjamin Harrison, yet were all 
Iowa hopeful office-seekers, as well as the thousands of honest 
republican voters, sadly disappointed when the majority in 
the gubernatorial race was yielded to Horace Boies. It seems 
to be the general opinion of lowans till this day, and it is even 
recorded in history, that Boies' success was due to the fact 
that he had promised to fight the rigorous liquor laws; but in 
justice to the Iowa voters, the historian will not err in attri- 
buting the election of Boies to his personal popularity rather 
than ascribing it to his anti-temperance inclinations. A still 
greater disaster to the republicans of Iowa was the election of 
a majority of democratic Congressmen in 1890, and the re- 
election of Boies with an increased majority, notwithstanding 
the defeat by the legislature of his local option scheme. The 
country in general seemed to turn democratic long before the 
national convention took place, the result was, therefore, fore- 
casted favorable for the democratic nominees. And it was so; 
Cleveland was elected. Nevertheless, Iowa politicians saw a 
spark of delight in the 23,428 majority, which was yielded by 
this state for Harrison, and "machine politicians" found hopes 
for their bread and butter once more. The hitherto republican 
prohibition policy was accordingly abandoned so that the 
strength of the democratic enemy might be weakened and an 
early campaign was inaugurated to overwhelm the democratic 
hopes and regain the lost ix>wer. The democrats, placing 
the strength of Gibraltar upon Boies, handed him the Her- 
culean tack of carrying their standard to victory a third time 
and thereby blot out the last spark of hope of the common 



GOLDEN AGE OF IOWA 57 

tnemy — the rq)ublicans. But even Boies failed. Frank D. 
Jackson repulsed him and outflanked the democratic party in 
Iowa. The loss proved to be irreparable to the democrats in 
this state, and ever since, democracy became a helpless min- 
ority, while the republicans went from strength to strength 
and their power has since been irrevocably established. 

During the panic, ''hard times" were generally attributed 
to democracy, and Cleveland's policies were denounced from 
Maine to California; but even here the historian cannot pass 
judgment in harmony with the general public, half of which 
was at variance with President Cleveland even on the day of 
his election. He was a democratic president with a limited 
constitutional power against a republican Congress which 
might have deprived him of any executive power whatsoever 
when his views were not favorable. Iowa suffered but little, 
and if any aid was needed, it was supplied in a noiseless way. 

Now Iowa's greatest statesman, Wm. B. Allison, was a 
favorite with all lowans, and when presidential year approach- 
ed, his name was mentioned in many sections of the country 
as the logical candidate for the presidency much to the de- 
light of his constituents. The Iowa delegation to the repub- 
lican national convention was instructed to place the favorite 
son's name before the convention and secure all honorable 
means for his nomination. But the meek Senator, at the last 
minute, declined the honor and another great American, Wm. 
McKinley, was the choice of his great party. The campaign 
between McKinley and Bryan was the most conspicuous one 
in the past two decades, for many questions, touching the very 
vitalitv of the land, were at issue and the heroism and self- 



58 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



sacrificing spirit displayed by the democratic Bryan stand 
matchless in the history of political campaigns in America. 
But the great McKinley was destined to occupy the executive 
chair during the days which have altered the map and changed 
many policies of this great country. 

General Francis AI. Drake was the next governor of Iowa, 
and it was his administration that witnessed the panic, but he 
conducted the affairs of the state during these perilous days 
with marked ability and courageous discipline ; he proved him- 
self master of the hour in meeting all demands and his name 
will everlastingly shine among Iowa's immortal sons. Leslie 
M. Shaw succeeded him and served the state two terms, until 
his fame was spread throughout the country and he now is the 
able Secretary of the United States Treasury. 

During the Spanish-American war lowans distinguished 
themselves upon the battlefield as well as in their patriotic ef- 
forts at home. The state in general presented a holiday-like 
appearance during the brief struggle, for the reports of contin- 
uous victories echoed the air after every engagement and there 
has been no occasion for earnestness even once a month. In- 
deed, it should have been a world-wide holiday for mankind 
in general when the inquisitionary, superstitious and tyrannical 
Spain, received the lesson of her life, at the hand of the most 
humane, civilized and free country ever known to any race or 
creed. 

As soon as the power of the country was wrested from the 
democrats, Iowa statesmen were demanded to fill cabinet and 
other offices of national repute, and it well may be said that no 



GOLDEN AGE OF IOWA 59 

Other state in the Union can produce such a long Hst of ilkis- 
trio'us sons as Iowa. Cummins, Alhson, Shaw, DolHver, Hen- 
derson, Wilson and Cousins are familiar names throughout 
the United States and its dependencies, and it is safe to say that 
low^a will continue on its forward march and become the lead- 
ing factor of Americanism. 

This state has an area of 55,045 square miles, is divided 
into eleven congressional districts, ninety-nine counties, 1,192 
school townships and 4,913 school corporations; its population 
in 1900, was 2,231,853. 

The follovving statistical table will furnish an idea as to 
what Iowa might be in the future and speaks volumes of what 
it is today : 

Bushels of corn raised 

annually 345,055,040 

Bushels of oats 138,833.330 

Bushels of wheat .... 21,293,350 

Head of cattle 4,442,012 

Head of horses and 

mules 1,010,621 

Miles of railroad .... 9,201 

No. children enrolled 

in public schools . . . 550,202 

No. school houses .... 13,968 

No. school teachers . . 29,287 

Annual salaries paid 

oiit to teachers .... $6,242,926 

No. colleges and private 

schools 307 

Students in attendance 48,149 



6o THE JEWS OF IOWA 



All it remains to add to the above figures is, that in 1848, 

Iowa school census was as follows : 

School houses 105 

Children enrolled 7S^77 

Salaries paid to teachers $5>737 

Number of teachers 124 

Population . 97^588 

The present Governor of Iowa, Albert B. Cummins, whose 

fame as the champion of the 'Towa Idea" is known all over 

the country and whose administrative ability is unquestionable, 

is an ardent friend of the Jewish people. 

On June the 28th, 1904, the following was received from 
the Governor: 

"The Jews of Iowa bear their citizenship in the Republic 
and in the commonwealth with dignity and honor. When 
the wonderful evolution of this country is considered, it is a 
high compliment to any race to say that it is holding its own 
in the rapid march of progress and development, and this can 
be well said of the Jews of our State. Patient, persistent in- 
dustry has been one of the characteristics for which the Jew, 
for centuries, has been distinguished, but with us he has still 
higher credit, for he advances with the spirit of the times and 
keeps pace with the swiftly moving column which reaches into 
the future, which unfolds events which carries the banner of 
enterprise, which makes history and betters civilization. It 
gives me great pleasure to say for the Jews of Iowa that they 
are potent factors in our business, faithful defenders of peace 
and order and staunch advocates of all the principles of good 
government." 

The Governor's utterance undoubtedly conveys the opin- 
ions of all Iowa citizens, a fact which elevates the lowans to 
the highest summit of liberalism, and makes the ancient wan- 
derer feel at home. 

And, as the purpose of this volume is to narrate extensive- 
ly of the Jews of Iowa, attention will now l^e directed to relate 
briefly the chief events which led Isreal to cross the ocean 
and search a home in the land of the free. 



GOLDEN AGE OF IOWA 



6i 




GOVERNOR A B. CUMMINS 

GREAT JEWISH FRIEND 



6! THE JEWS OF IOWA. 



CHAPTER VI. 

JEWS IN MODERN TIMES I492-160O. 

Expulsion of Spain, Navarre, Genoa, Naples, Rome, Fez, Por- 
tugal and Northern Africa — Fate of Refugees — Brabanel — 
Turkey, Palestine and Poland — Germany — The Talmud 
and the Dominicans — Luther's Reform and the Jews — Jew- 
ish Learning — Kabalah — Sulchan Anich — Beginning of 
Spain's Ruin. 

The stage whereon the most hideous tragedy in Israel's 
history was acted has been constructed upon religious ground 
and sketched ])y medieval theologians; the heart-rending scenes 
were laid out in Sicily, Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia, Catalonia 
and Castile — all picturesque and attractive since creation, but 
now painted with human blood; the villains were; a hellish 
woman, disguised in a veil of preternatural superstition, nam- 
ed Isabella; a malignant tyrant, crowned with iron and anoint- 
ed with blood of infants and sucklings, Ferdinand ; a satanic 
disciple, masked with a shield of Catholic holiness, Torquemada 
and a number of friars, priests and hangmen. The victims 
were, grizzled men and women, mothers and sisters, fathers 
and brothers, sons and dauohters and countless children of 



JEWS IN MODERN TIMES 63 

Israel. Author of the bloody century, Ferdinand Martinez; 
(i) time, Thursday, August 2, 1492, (2). (9th day of Ab, 
1422, aifter the final triumph of Rome O'ver Jerusalem.) 

The blood and tears, brains, marrow and fat, bones, sinews, 
limbs and skulls, sighs, groans, shrieks and lamentations — 
had all these been collected when they were shed, broken, torn, 
dashed and dismally exclaimed, and brought before the Heav- 
enly Throne, the Author of the universe could have created a 
new Pacific, could have constructed enough ships and supplied 
sufficient steam tO' convey the eternal wanderer, the world's 
scapegoat, within those steamers upon that ocean to a land of 
safety and rest ! 

Indeed, if hell is only what the ancients have pictured it 
to be, then medieval men, in rage of fanaticism, holding an in- 
quisitionary torch in one hand and a blood-stained crucifix in 
the other, must have outdone the very devil in mischief, Satan 
in device, and the witches and evil spirits of Hinom and To- 
pheth in ferociousness. 

About 300,000 of the most noble sons of the God-chosen 
people, after having witnessed the nameless and indescribable 
torture, atrocities and plunder inflicted upon their kindred, af- 
ter having endured themselves the limit of human forbearance, 
after being rendered defenseless, hopeless and helpless, were 

(i) Archdeacon of Ecija, whose venomous agitation and continuous columnies inflamed 
the populace to massacre, pollute and plunder Jewish communities soon after the death of 
Don Henry H, C1379) Torqemada was a direct follower of his. Hence the reason why 
Ferdinand, at the last moment, declined the proposition offered to him by the famous Abra- 
banel to repeal the infamous decree for the price of 300,000 ducats. 

(2) On the following day, Friday, Columbus set sail for the West on his voyage which 
led to the discovery of America . It is related by Columbus himself that his fleet met with the 
vessels conveying the expelled Jews. A more striking incident was never produced in the 
history of the world. Surely the God of Vengeance planted the seed of punishment for the 
wicked Spain on the same day her bloodiest deed was executed. 



64 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



forced to become homeless and wander between sea and firma- 
ment on vessels until, peradventure some human tribe, some 
spot on God's earth would welcome them, either to live or die 
so that their bones might not become prey to fishes but to 
beasts, aye human beasts, instead. The seaports of Barcelona, 
Gibraltar, Port Maria, Valencia and Carthagena reproduced 
the scenes of the Babylonian rivers and Israel again had to re- 
sort to his historic staff, adorned with the map of the world, 
for his companion — if that staff could only talk! 

Their farms, homes, stores, gold, silver and money which 
they could not, or heinous laws forbade them, to carry along 
in exile, were either disposed of, during the four months' grace 
extended to them after the infamous decree was proclaimed, 
for a mere trifle, or left as an inheritance to the followers of 
Satan, Martinez, and Torquemada. 

Thus did the princes of the House of Jacob, the most cul- 
tured of the Jewish race and the most learned of Israel em- 
brace exile as the only means of safety, and banishment as the 
only means of the preservation of their faith, race and purity, 
and thus were the aristocratic Spanish Jews, after having en- 
riched that land with their craft and brain, after having spent 
there for almost fourteen centuries of their existence, after 
having become part of the country themselves, compelled to 
lift their eyes heavenward in search of a home and bread. 

England's gates were shut against them; Germany fol- 
lowed, on a minor scale, the footsteps of the depraved Spain ; 
France refused to tolerate them in her cities, nay even on her 



JEWS IN MODERN TIMES 65 

soil, and all other countries of Europe, which were predomina- 
ted by Catholicism would rather not grant the Jews, with the 
doctrines of Moses, David and Isaiah in their minds and the 
ever-living words of Jehovah upon their lips, the use of their 
fields, markets, meadows, rivers, wells and sepulchres. And 
since the aristocracy o^f the world's Jewry had fallen, a 
general exodus took place at the end of the fifteenth and at the 
dawn of the sixteenth centuries; and every other vessel with 
an}^ destination in view conveyed Jews, homeless Jews, whom 
the great monsters of the earth had cast into the seas. Thou- 
sands became prey tO' pirates, cannibals and semi-barbaric 
tribes of Asia and Africa whereunto they drifted for safety. A 
rumor was afloat that the Jews, having been forbidden tO' carry 
out of Spain gold or coined money, have swallowed pieces of 
the precious metal; the African islanders, hearing it, placed 
credence upon the hearsay and ensnared many unfortunates 
by means of false promises and, taking the victims tO' a safe 
distance, have eviscerated their bowels in search of the sup- 
posed gold. Thousands were also slain by the Black Pesti- 
lence which fell upon them with its deadly grip through their 
congested quarters within the ships, lack of clothes and fresh 
victuals and the means of sanitation. 

In Genoa a few vessels filled with famished, skeleton-like 
refugees, begged admittance and were promptly refused, but, 
upon learning that the hundreds of men, w^omen and children 
were practically without provisions, ''generous" friars with 
hearts of ''brotherly-love," went out to meet them with morsels 
of bread in one hand and crucifixes in the other and those who 



66 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



kissed and paid obeisance to the cross were the happy re- 
cipients of morsels of bread and — what will starved human 
beings not do for the sake of a piece of bread ! An excellent 
piece of rascality, indeed, of a heartless gang of alleged soul- 
caving agents of the dale of Hinoinl 

In Navarre, the neighboring state of Spain, some 12,000, 
forlorn sons of Judah sought refuge, either temporarily or 
permanently, for they were the less fortunate ones possessing 
no funds to migrate to distant lands, and at first some con- 
-sideration was shown them, but no sooner was intelligence of 
their intent obtained in the Spanish court than a proclamation, 
offering them the choice between baptism and banishment, was 
handed to them. Most of them heaped their young ones upon 
their backs, encouraged their wives with prayer and song and 
started on an aimless wandering anew, but some of them, eager 
to save the lives of their young ones, were overcome with grief 
and consented to be dived in the holy fonts and became pseudo- 
ichristian for the price of home and bread. The same outcasts 
and miserable wretches unfit to be inhabitants of Navarrean 
forests became equals to the aristocracy of that little kingdom 
as soon as they promised to ?,dhere to the cross — what a speci- 
men of hypocrisy! 

In Venice, several hundred families were permitted to estab- 
lish a ghetto and exist. 

In Corfu, Candia and other Greek islands many thousands 
of homeseekers found homes and bread, if not independent 
homes, for a majority were sold thither as slaves, but homes 
tinder roofs, on land, thev had, which was much more than 



JEWS IN MODERN TIMES 67 

scores of thousands of their brethren upon the seas could boast 
of. Much was, soon after, done for the rehef or the unfortu- 
nate slaves by the wealthier Jews SindPidyon S'buyim{YQdtem- 
ing of the captives) money amounted in the thousands of du- 
cats. 

In Rome the strangest and most unexpected came tO' pass; 
the native Jewish community offered a thousand ducats to 
Pope Alexander VI to prohibit the immigration of Spanish 
Jews into Rome, the pontiff, although covetous for money, not 
only refused to accept the bribe but threatened to drive them 
out of Rome instead. History might repeat itself, and cursed 
be those Jews who might encourage anti-immigration againsc 
unfortunate brethren who are driven in exile from the lands 
of their captivity ! 

In Naples, a host of Jews were admitted and tolerated by 
King Ferdinand I, and, as the great sage Isaac Abrabanel was 
among them, their condition w^as gradually bettered after the 
king appointed him head of his financial department. 

Fez excelled in atrociousness every merciless community of 
that bloody period; there the exiled children of Israel were 
shut out behind the gates of the city and no provision was sold 
unto them and no water to quench the thirst of fatigued women 
and famished children was given unto them ; there the Jew was 
forced to forget that he must not have any master besides his 
God and gladly sold himself for bread and water into^ slavery, 
and these human beings, with no other sin than faithfulness 
upon their heads, were forced by hunger and thirst to eat grass 
like cattle and drink of the mirv marshes like crocodiles. 



68 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



But all the preceding alongside the fate which overtook the 
100,000 (I) Jews in Portugal fade into insignificance. At first 
they were promised protection and a permit to sojourn in that 
land till they find a secured home was granted to them, and 
the youthful King Manoel seemed to possess a somewhat kind- 
ly feeling toward the homeless people and nothing was de- 
manded of them to yield in return for the hospitality; but the 
dissembling Spain, serpent-like in her device, planned a mar- 
riage between Infanta, (Isabella II) daughter of Ferdinand 
and Isabella, and King Manoel which the latter eagerly em- 
braced. One clause in the contract provided that as soon as 
the princess will touch Portuguese soil not one of the Hebrew 
race sliall remain in Portugal (2) Volumes could be filled, 
all hearts would melt, balDes and soldiers alike would weep 
their eyes dry, women would denounce religion as the most 
miserable disease of mankind if a literal account would be 
given of the crimes, horrors, atrocities, pollution, remorseless- 
ness, bloodthirstiness, unchastity, ccwiimjitted ,a,ga,inst and infliict- 
ed upon those unfortunate Jews who could not hurriedly leave 
Portugal after the heart of the youthful Manoel was in the 
hand of the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella. And all 
these in the name of the Jew. Jesus, for the sake of the 
doctrine of love ! 

(i^ Professor GrRrtz (London, 1892, Volume IV) places the number of refugees in 
Portugal to 20,000 families or 200,000 souls but there surely must be an error in this statement 
for there can be no 200.000 souls in 20,oco families. Lady Magnus (outline of Jewish History, 
Philadelphia, 1890) conservatively estimates their number to have reached only 80,000, it is 
therefore greatly probable that 100,000 are the more correct figures provided there were 20,000 
families. 

(2) The Rev. H . C. Adams, in his History of the Jews, (London, 1887) asserts that Spain 
expelled the Jews on economical grounds, being due to the "fact" that thev "gathered the fat 
of the land. " A more fabulous statement could not be expected had the history of the Jews 
beeu written by Torquemada himself . The very assertion detects his ignorance in Jewish 
history of Spain. Ferdinand, proclaiming the bloody edict, mentions only religious differ- 
ences, and this clause of the marriage contract plainly reveals the designs c f the inquisition. 



JEWS IN MODERN TIMES 69 

Yet the God of Israel slumber eth not, and He appeared 
once more to guide his chosen sons. 

Seeing that in the lands which were under the influence of 
a hypocritical Catholicism, presided OA'er by monsters of hell, 
no rest was given to them, the Jews fled to Egypt, Northern 
Africa, Turkey and even Zion, although desolated, its magnifi- 
cent structures dilapidated, its glory razed to the ground, ap- 
pealed to them. Indeed, there was not a mountain or dale, 
river or ocean in Europe, Asia and Africa which was not pen- 
etrated and fathomed by foot and vessel in search of home 
and bread, by the wandering Jews in those days. 

Sooii, flourishing Jewish communities sprang forth in Tur- 
key, Palestine, Egypt and Poland. In Palestine, Jerusalem 
and Safed under the leadership of Obadio de Bartinora and 
Jo'seph Saragossi, became centers of Jewish scholars and 
wisdom. Tunis, Cairo, Constantinople, Salonica, Padua, as 
far as they were apart geographically, w^ere united in elevating 
Judaism, in preserving what was added to Jewish learning 
during the many centuries of sojourn in Spain, and in spread- 
ing the knowledge of the Torah and Talmud. German immi- 
grants established a Talmudical college at Padua, Spanish in 
Solnoica under the able leadership of Judah Benvenisti, Samuel 
Franco' and Joseph Teisak. Samuel Abrabanel, Isaac Aboab, 
Judah Chayit, Joseph Zapateira Abraham Zac cuto ( i ) Closes 
Kopsali and others were among the exiled scholars whose 
wisdom and learning, after the expulsion, illumined the four 



(i) Author of the Sepher Jucbsin, an-1 according to excellent authorities all the navi- 
gators and explorers of that age and for decades after followed his doctrine in astronomy. 
Columbus first perceived the idea of a new hemisphere from the writings of Rabbi Zaccuto 



70 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



corners of the world. For they were scattered throughout 
all the lands and established themselves in connection with 
their brethren upon whatsoever shore they were permitted to 
land. Wonderful, indeed, hoAv during such crisis, a homeless 
people without a friend, w^ithout a government, without a uni- 
form language, have succeeded in preserving their faith, litera- 
ture and even their physiognomy and mannerism till this day. 

Poland was next in importance to European Turkey as a 
Jewry and center of Judaism; there have the German Jews 
brought along their learning, wisdom, zeal and enthusiasm 
and soon they became great factors throughout Israel. The 
study of the Talmud was pursued vigorously by the Polish 
Jews under the tutorship of German Rabbles, and the German 
language, which was then a mere jargon, became sacred next 
to Hebrew among all the Polish Jews through the influx 
of German Jews as was the Spanish language in the Orient 
through the overflow O'f Spanish Jews. The Sultans of Tur- 
key and the nobles of Poland were favorable to the Jews, and 
commerce and industry in those lands sprang forth rapidly 
and the Jews became potent factors upon the world's market. 

Hardly two decades have elapsed since the expulsion of 
Spain before Judaism, or, properly speaking, Talmudic Juda- 
ism, occupied the minds of all eminent Europeans and a general 
uprise against the rule of Catholicism was brought about by an 
incident which finally resulted in the reforms of Luther. A 
Jewish convert, Pfefferkorn by name, inflamed the Dominicans 
of Cologne against the Talmud which he, as an ex-Jew, alleged 
to know that it contained dangerous teachings and groundless 



JEWS IN MODERN TIMES 71 

heretical dogmas unfit for study or existence. Hochstraten, a 
dangerous fanatic of the Dominacans, undertook to bring the 
matter before King MaximiHan and have the voluminous work 
consumed. John Reuchlin, a liberal thinker and lover qi 
Kabalism which Jewish Rabbis had taught him, compiled a 
pamphlet in defense of the Talmud which gained a very large 
circulation. A great controversy, matchless in vigor and stub- 
bornness, ensued and two' great parties were fighting each 
other in palaces of kings, courts of princess and vestibules of 
cardinals even before the Pope. The Jews had the fine taste 
not to interfere and to watch very closely the proceedings. 
The final decision was in favor of the Talmud and right then 
rays of daylight commenced to appear in those days of gross- 
darkness, for soon after Luther appeared and the yoke of 
Catholicism was shattered in the more enlightened states of 
Europe. 

But the condition of the Jqws in the countries which Luther 
carried upon the wings of liberalism received no' material 
change, for Luther himself, albeit liberal, fond of Jewish learn- 
ing and once their great friend, turned against them, so to 
speak, for he carried not his liberal thinking far enough to ben- 
efit them as was anticipated by their friends and by themselves. 
There was no more such atrocities, massacres and wholesale 
slaughter as in, the days of old, but a gulf still existed and no 
bridge could be constructed to make the two ends meet, not- 
withstanding the open secret that Luther and his followers 
were staunch admirers of Kabalah and most fervent exponents 
of the doctrine of Kabalism. 



72 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Kabalah was at its summit in the sixteenth century, the 
mysterious philosophy charmed the wearied sage and bewitched 
the fatigued commoner. The daily expectation of Messiah 
was a hopeful comfort, more so than during the preceding 
centuries since the heavens were darkened with flame and 
smoke of the burnt Temple and Jerusalem. Seeing that this 
world, to them, is a vale of tears, its pleasures, its charm, its 
very life is a cursing unto them, they hid themselves into the 
depth of mysterious thought, dreaming of the future world 
where no bread, no homes, no liberty will be required, where 
the company of Seraphim and OpJmnim will entertain the have- 
been mortals and eternal rest and contentment will hold sway. 

In great men and Rabbinical literature, the sixteenth cen- 
tury was to the Jews, what the seventeenth century was to the 
English, for not alone in Kabalah were the Rabbis of that 
age great and not' to Rabbis only was the scholarship of that 
period confined. The SuIcJwji AnicJi (Religious code) in four 
parts containing all kinds of Jewish laws that have, are and 
will exist among the Jews, was compiled (1542) by Rabbi 
Joseph Cairo and a uniform practice in all religious rites, cere- 
monies and laws were established ; historical works, by the 
eminent schoars, Joseph Cohen, Solomon Vergo (Ibn Vergos) 
and his son, Joseph, and the Usque family were also compiled. 

In Italy Leon Medigo of Abrabanel. Dei Rossi, (Azarya of 
Adomin) in Poland, Ral>bi Foses Issarles (Ramo) Samuel 
Lurie, the historian David Gans (Zemach David) and many 
others flourished and illuminated the dark countries with the 
lights of their learning, the greatest Kabalist, however, was 
Rabbi Isaac Liurie ( Ari.) 



JEWS IN MODERN TIMES 73 

In Jerusalem an attempt was made by Rabbi Jacob Berab 
to establish a Jewish hierarchy, or Sanhedrin and, although 
many great Rabbis, among whom the illustrious Cairo was 
foremost, were in favor of the project, Rabbi Levi ben Chabib 
of Jerusalem opposed it and he succeeded in defeating the pro- 
posed Sanhedrin. 

Politically the Jews at the end of the sixteenth century 
were still far from being tolerated in European countries and 
of those ghettoes which were assigned to them, many talesof 
woe are written indelibly upon the blood-stained pages of their 
tragedical history. Particularly lamentable was their condi- 
tion in Rome under the despotic Popes who were Jew-baiters 
without an exception. 

Meantime the Jews in Turkey went from strength to 
strength, occupying many positions of trust in the various 
departments of the Sultanic government and representing the 
different Sultans in nearly every European court. 

Poland became the center of Jewish learning, and from 
there authority on all religious questions was looked for. 
Cheerfulness as to their future prevailed and a turning point 
for the Jews in Europe was foretold even by those who hither- 
to were in dismay. 

And the God of Vengeance began to gi\'e Spain measure 
for measure; the intrigues among the clergy, among the offi- 
cials, among the nobility, were the seeds of her downfall ; her 
commerce was on the declining road and her entire career was 
downward. The Netherlands, Holland included, wrested their 
beautiful states from its beastlv mouth and the Dutch estab- 



74 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



lished a liberal government of their own. Amsterdam now 
(1598) became an attractive point for all such Jews who still 
lived, in disguise of Christianity, in Spain, particularly the 
Marranoes (Anucim, forced converts) eagerly embraced the 
opportunity of migrating to Amsterdam, where, without 
change of dress, mannerism, language and habit, they could 
openly practice Judaism without being in constant fear of a 
sudden appearance of an inquisitionary agent. 

And from Amsterdam came the Jewish pioneers in Amer- 
ica, hence the foundation of American Jewry was laid by the 
most noble sons and daughters of Israel. 

And having traced the history of the Jews since the dis- 
covery of the Golden Land till the period when Israel again 
crossed an ocean in search of a home and rest, the future chap- 
ters will relate briefly the adventures of the Jews in this coun- 
try and sum up their fortunes in the Old World till the ''Jews 
of Iowa" will commence toi be the feature of this work. 



JEWISH PIONEERS IN AMERICA 75 



CHAPTER VII. 

JEWISH PIONEERS IN AMERICA TIDINGS IN THE OLD WORLD. 

1 600- 1 700. 

Jews With Columbus — Brazil — Mexico^ — Peru — Portuguese 

Jews in America Fate of Pioneersi Amsterdam — 

M'nasseh ben Israel and Cromwell — Pesudo-Messianism— 
Sabbatai Zebi — Jews in Europe — Dutch in Brazil — Exodus 
of the New World — Scholars of the Seventeenth Century — 
First Jews in New Amsterdam — Levy and de Lucean — Jews 
in Newport. 

When the news of the discovery of a New World was 
spread abroad, it appeared to most Europeans as a tale in an- 
cient legend and, as a dreadful uncertainty prevailed, only 
those, whose anxiety, ambition, or desperateness over-ruled 
the natural fear oi mankind for things and objects fabulous 
and supernatural, ventured a voyage across the mighty waves 
of the restless Atlantic to behold the wonderful Fairyland, 
its islands and forests, its copper-colored children. But the 
Jew, being habitually a wanderer, defying fire and water, 
whirl and gale, having no fear for tokens of the heavens, or 
tricks of the evil spirits and witches of strange abodes, em- 
braced the opportunity of adding a magnificent negative of a 
new continent to the long list of seas and lands already en- 
graved upon his wander-staff. 



76 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Two Alarranos, (i) (forced converts) Gabriel Sanches 
and Louis Santang-el, l)eing- influential in the Spanish court 
because of their eminence, wealth and late conversion to Cath- 
olicism, were a source of deliverance to the almost perplexed 
Columbus, for they importuned the probable outcome of the 
gig-antic undertaking upon Isabella, and, her consent was des- 
tined to unseal the fates of many persecuted races of the earth. 
Barring the assertion that the latter pledged her jewels with a 
Jew to defray the expenses of the expedition, one thing re- 
mains certain that the confiscated wealth of the Spanish Jews 
was used in fitting out the most famous fleet in history and — 
Jewish money was never invested to better advantage. Thus 
before, and at, the exploration of America, Jews were con- 
spicuous, and many historians have it that Louis de Torrer, 
one of the five Marronos who accompanied Columbus upon his 
perilous voyage, zuas the -first one to touch America's soil. 

But settlements in North America were meager and coloni- 
zation was scant during the sixteenth century, so we find the 
Jewish pioneers of this hemisphere amidst the roaring Atlan- 
tic with their faces turned toward Brazil and other Southern 
territories. Most of them were Marranos deported from Port- 
ugal together with other convicts — hence to have been 
a descendant of Abraham and Solomon was equal to being a 
criminal in those rapacious lands of the Liquisition. Brazil 



(i^ Those ronverted Jews continued to practice ludaism for generations, and their 
fidelity and faithfulness stand matchless in the annals of reliijious perFecutions. They were 
Anucim, and having been of noble character and high standing, they have intermarried with 
the highest nobility of the countries of Spain and Portugal. It is related that once King 
Joseph asked his minister Pombal to make a design for a certain kind of hat which the de- 
scendants of the lews she'll wear and thereby be distinguished from the pure blooded 
citizens. The minister, after a geneological investgation, brought thr'^e hats of special de- 
sign in the Palace aad cheerfully remarked to the King: "Here is one for your majesty, 
one for myself, and one for the Inquisitcr-Gereral." 



JEWISH PIONEERS IN AMERICA 77 

was first discoA'ered by Pinzan, A Spanish navigator, but one 
year later (1500) Alvarez de Cabral, a Portuguese explorer, 
assisted by a Jewish mariner named Caspar, discovered it 
independently and the land fell under Portuguese suzerainty, 
though some colonies belonged to Spain. The Jews were 
mostly agriculturalists, chiefly sugar-cane planters, and became 
prosperous, until, in 1557, the Portuguese government consid- 
ered the land too good for them and issued an edict prohibiting 
MarranO'S to migrate thither. In the Spanish colonies of Bra- 
zil a decree was proclaimed forbidding the Jews to settle 
amongst them, but the price of 1,700,000 cruzados, or $714,- 
000, paid by the Jews redeemed , their temporal existence and 
the sunbeams of the land of Palms and Coffee were permitted 
to break through the window-panes of the Jewish habitation 
in those colonies also. From this fact it appears plainly that 
the number of Jews in Brazil must have been great indeed, for 
they ha\'e come in large numbers from the whole Peninsula 
where the dread of the Inquisition raged most, and also' from 
Madeira they came and transplanted the sugar-cane in their 
new abode. 

Mexico' appealed next tO' the Anucim during the first cen- 
tury after the discovery of America and quite a number of 
them were gathered in the colonies of that land even in the 
first half of the sixteenth century, but as it was wholly under 
Spanish suzerainty and most pioneers were the followers of 
Torquemada, the Inquisition was soon introduced (1571) 
and the helpless Jews had tO' continue in disguise. They how- 
ever, continued to live there until 1650 and mention is made 
that Jewish men and women ha\'e occupied prominet positions 



78 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



in every branch of labor, commence and industry and that at 
one time they have dared and celebrated the Passover festival 
publicly. But the Inquisition gave them, no rest, and their lives 
were in constant danger. At one time eighty-six of their num- 
ber wefe tried for daring to maintain that God is God and one 
God. And between 1650, and 1820, when the Inquisition was 
disestablished, no trace of a Jewish community can be found, 
and very likely none existed during that time. 

In Peru also the unfortunate Marranos looked for a spot 
where their faithfulness would not be considered a crime and 
their faces an offense, and, from the fact that they were among 
the six thousand Portuguese who purchased the right of set- 
tling in that land for 200,000 ducats, they must have repre- 
sented a notable number, but even there the rage of the Inqui- 
sition was poured upon their heads. They settled in Lima 
about 1575, and in 1639, twelve Jews among whom was a 
millionaire named Manuel Bautista Perez, were burnt. 

Thus was even the new world, the cradle of brotherly- 
love, of liberty and invention, stained with blood of Israel and 
Judah, but, who can count the ways of God and explain them ? 

The dawn of the seventeenth century to the people of Israel 
resembled a March morning a few minutes before the bright 
star appears to herald the news of the approaching sunrise; it 
is twilight, a biting, northerly wind, field, forest, mount and 
dale, covered with a deadly garb — snow ; no singing of birds, 
no murmuring of brooks, barking of a dog here, crowing of a 
cock there, smoke from a chimney in this cabin, a torch 



JEWISH PIONEERS IN AMERICA 79 

through a window of yon hut, and a prevalent dreadfulness 
all over heaven and earth and yet, soon sunshine will bring 
all to life gain, the May of Nature is barely three months 
hence. • 

Holland was the morning star of Israel's March in his 
captivity. And North America became the Sun of,Judah's 
May since daylight in Jerusalem was eclipsed by the clamor 
of Roman shield and spear. Twilight began to disappear 
before the shining rays of the bright star when the Dutch ex- 
torted their liberty from the deadly grip of Spain, and sun- 
beams cheered all hearts when the Bell in the city of Brotherly- 
love tolled the so^unds of perpetual liberty. Amsterdam, under 
the protection of the Dutch nation, became a refuge of safety 
for all the Marranos of the Peninsula and thither they fled to 
declare to the whole world that they were Jews, faithful to 
the God of Israel, until its fame was spread as New Jerusalem 
and occupied the foremost position among the Jewries of the 
world. Soon immigrants from Germany, where they were 
subjected tO' exclusion and ostracism, began tO' stream into- the 
Dutch capital and owing to their disadvantageous mannerism 
acquired in the baired ghettoes, their Spanish and Portuguese 
brethren looked upon them with disfavor from a social view- 
point and the great parties in Israel, Sephardim and Ashke- 
nezim, (i) had their initial appearance in Jewish history. Irk- 
some intolerance grew forth, at the outstart of the division, 
out of the somewhat lofty ideas of the Sephardim and their 

(i) Sephardim is Hebrew for Spanish and Askenazim for Germans. Subsequently the 
two parties grew mighty and the Chassidim follow the Sphardic rituals while the Missnag- 
dim are the direct successors of the Ashkenazim. 



8o THF JEWS OF IOWA 

exaltation, and their pride and endless love for the religion 
they saved from the bloody Inquisition led them to rash deal- 
ings with those who gained their disfavor by attacking even 
the most insignificant ceremony. A famous instance is the 
famous Uriel de Costa. He was a marrano like unto them- 
selves but he varied from them as regards many ritual 
laws and put those laws or customs which displeased his fancy 
to ridicule. An excommunication was accordingly inflicted 
upon him. Seeing that he was not considered a Jew, and dearly 
loving his faith, he repented and applied for re-instatement 
into the synagogue. His petition was appreciated, but the 
penalty which he meekly received at the hands of his brethren 
proved tooi shameful for him to continue among the living and 
he shot himself. (April, 1640.) 

Meantime the Jews in Brazil grew numerous and when 
the Dutch invaded the land to wrest it from the Portuguese 
they were first to form a column of hostility against their op- 
pressors, and their column struck the very vitality of Portu- 
guese predomination in Brazil and their new home was deliv- 
ered into the hands of their friends — the Dutch. The Dutch 
West India Company was also assisted by the Jews and the 
friendship at that period between the two peoples was of mut- 
ual benefit. Brazil under Dutch suzerainty became a source of 
joy to many hundred of homeless Jews or wearied marranos 
and many noble families migrated to the New World to pro- 
claim to the new heavens the name of Jehovah. ^lany flour- 
ishing communities sprang forth in Brazil l^etween the years 
1 531-1654, chief amongst them were Pernambuco, (Recife) 
Bahia, Parahivah and Rio de faneiro. Quite a few illustrious 



JEWISH PIONEERS IN AMERICA 



names appear among the Jewish pioneers on this hemisphere 
of whom the names of Ephraim Sueido, step-brother of the 
famous M^nasseh ben Israel, Rabbis Isaac Aboab and Moses 
Raphael, Jacob Lagarta and the poet Ehjah Mochorro stand 
foremost. 

But the golden period of the Brazilian Jews vanished too 
soon, the Portuguese finally vanquished the good Dutchmen 
and again an exodus in Israel's history was chronicled 
(i6S4-) 

And the gates of England were as yet shut up and barred 
up against the children of Israel. Oliver Cromwell reigned 
as Protector, the Stuart dynasty was overthrown and the time 
for England to draw a breath of relief from blood, treachery 
and rebellion came tO: pass. It was, indeed, the turning point 
of mankind, for the English-speaking people illumined the 
world with tolerance and love for liberty and led all people 
since then in the principles of good government. The media- 
tor was the Amsterdam Rabbi, a descendant of Spanish Jews,. 
M'nasseh ben Israel; his fervent love, endless zeal and inde- 
fatigable efforts for his downtrodden people brought him be- 
fore Cromwell pleading the cause of his forlorn race, petition- 
ing the repeal of the edict of banishment issued against his 
brethren 365 years before, and defending his people against 
the malicious accusations that they were usurers and the like. 
A Gentile champion, Edward Nicholas, had published (1648) 
a pamphlet entitled "An Apology for the Honorable Nation 
of the Jews and all the Sons of Israel" wherein he declared 
the Jews as the God-chosen and God-protected people and re~ 



82 THE JEWS OF IOWA 

minded his countrymen that "God will charge their sufferings 
upon us, and will avenge them on their persecutors." The dis- 
tinguished Nicholas — blessed be his memory — was a person 
of no mean authority, for he held the office of Secretary to the 
Parliament under Charles Stuart and also under Cromwell. 
A council was called and ben Israel's petition was argued. 
Fanatical clergymen cited "biblical authority" to prove how 
dangerous it was to re-admit Israelites in the kingdom found- 
ed by mighty Caesar — what excellent news to Bible students ! — 
and jealous merchants opposed the re-admission on economical 
grounds. Cromwell's plea for the Jews before that council 
will live as long as his name will ; to the merchants he said ; 
"Can you really think that so despised a people should be able 
to secure the upper hand in trade and credit over the merchants 
of England — the most honorable in the world ?" His attempt 
failed, the council voted against the petition of the great 
M'nasseh ben Israel, but his open friendship encouraged the 
Jews who' were eager to settle in England and, from that very 
day, Jewish immigrants began toi land upon the shores of 
Britain. 

It is important, indeed, to relate in connection with M'nas- 
seh's undertaking that he was inspired tO' pursue the gigantic 
scheme after hearing an account by the famous Jewish trav- 
eler, Antonio de Montezinos, of the American Indians whom 
he had recognized to be the lost Ten Tribes. Believing it, M,- 
nasseh commenced to compile his most famous work "The 
Hope of Israel" where he readily convinced that the theory of 
the American natives being the ancient Jews from the time 
of Nabuchadnezzar was true and that as soon as England will 
re-admit the Jews in her territory Messiah will come, for, 



JEWISH PIONEERS IN AMERICA 83 

then, Jews will indeed be scattered throughout the four cor- 
ners of the earth whence they are to be gathered by the anoint- 
ed deliverer of God. 

Messiah, during the seventeenth century, was the hope 
of all European Jews, and when the book of M'nasseh appear- 
ed thousands upon thousands expected him daily and, although 
pseudo — Messianism was a plague that Israel was stricken with 
repeatedly, that period stands matchless in the annals of the 
Jews as regards the trouble caused by a fake — Messiah. Or- 
dinarily the Jews are least of all people to believe in a man, — 
Mo'ses was born and died like every other mortal — and they 
continually rely upon God, but the centuries of persecution, 
ostracism, poverty, degradation, wandering, homelessness and 
mysterious dogmatism preached by many cabalistic authori- 
ties, in connection with the pure belief in God that a Messiah 
will come — in itself a fundamental principle in Orthodox Ju- 
dahism — caused hundreds of thousands of Jews to be misled by 
the notorious Sabbatai Z'bi. He was indeed, a prince in ap- 
pearance, learned, cunning, and of excellent speech and more 
than all these, a people surrounded by myriads of enemies, in 
daily expectation of a deliverer. What else could be expected 
of one quick in device like him than to come into a synagogue 
and exclaim; ''Here I am," and, standing upon an obscured 
hill to charge the countries of the globe "toi yield the God-chos- 
en children back to the Widowed daughter of Zion?" His 
name was soon upon the lips of young and old and his follow- 
ers increased daily until he became a menace to the Sultan, 
for he was born in Smyrna, Turkey. He suffered before he 
died more than his glory was worth, embracing Mohammed- 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



anism he was left like unto the bat in legend which was re- 
fused by the fowls because of his animal-like feet and by the 
mice because of its birdlike wings. But his followers con- 
tinued in their blind adherence even after his death and the 
Jewish people suffered much because of him for over a century ; 
for, from the time oif his appearance (16.^8) until Rabbi Jacob 
Amdon suppressed the last group of his followers (1776) 
many were the strifes in the ghettoes and synagogues on ac- 
count of the corrupted son of Israel. But he is not the only 
historical character who caused his people endless grief, not 
in vain have Israel accq)ted the ghettO' maxim; "Guide me 
O Lord from my friends, and from my enemies I will watcli 
myself out alone." 

Conditions in Europe during the seventeenth century chang- 
ed for the worst to the ever-suffering Jews. Germany leads in 
atrocities of that century, for in 16 14, the Jews of Worms 
and Frankfort were massacred and expelled, although two 
years later they were re-admjtted and it was then that the 
famous FrankfoTt ghetto was founded. In all other cities, 
they were compelled to live in airless, filthy, narrow streets 
which were called ghettoes and subjected to open degrada- 
tion and ostracism. Every official quickly learned to be rapaci- 
ous in extorting money from the Jews for his alleged protec- 
tion. Italy was next with her ghettoes and ferociousness. 

Poland which offered protection and liberal treatment to 
the Jews was visited by a ravenous uprise of Kossacks under 
the leadership of the merciless' Chmelnitzki, and the Jews were 



JEWISH PIONEERS IN AMERICA 85 

first to- suffer the consequences. The massacres, pollution, 
plunder and debauchery of 1648 encouraged by that bloody 
Cossack were indescribable. 

The only comfortable spot, so to speak, was Amsterdam. 
The Sphardim and the Ashkenazim were continually re-en- 
forced by new immigrants and the community was a flourish- 
ing one indeed. But even there a strange and lamentable inci- 
dent marred the happiness of their golden period. Their 
greatest philosopher, Baruch Spinoza, born in their midst, of 
whom every nation would have been proud, was excommuni- 
cated because of his new theoiry concerning the universal God 
which subsequently gained myriads of followers and did honor 
to his race. Much, however, was said in defense O'f the Am- 
sterdam community as well as in that of Spinoza, yet it is a 
lamentable fact even unto this day that the least step a Jewish 
scholar takes which appears contrary to the established rules, 
he is being talked of as an epicurien by the pious. But time 
will cure Israel from' this disease also. 

Among the most learned of that century were Sabbatai 
Cohen (Sach) Lipman Heller (Tospheth Yomtob) Levi ben 
B'zalel (Maharil Me Prague) M'nasseh ben Israel and Baruch 
Spinoza, besides scores of illustrious Rabbis in Poland, Salon- 
ica, and Germany. 

When the sun was set in Brazil, God said to New Amster- 
dam, "Let there be light," and there was light. The dis- 
tinguished fortune of being the first Jewish settler in the New 
Netherlands belonged to one Jacob Barsimson who came to 
New Amsterdam on November 9th, 1654. Then refugees 



86 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



begun to come from Brazil, from the West Indies and from 
Europe. At first the Dutch objected to increase their numbers 
by thrifty merchants and excellent planters, but by the direction 
of the Dutch West India Company they were given the free- 
dom of the village, (noAv New York) but only to exist there, 
fo-r the privilege to build a synagogue, or to hold public offices, 
or be employed therein, was denied them. 

Asser Levy appears to have been the foremost of the sturdy 
Jewish pioneers ; he was determined to become equal in every 
privilege with his Dutch hosts and gain equal rights for his 
brethren as well. He must have been the Jefferson among the 
few Jews whose fortunes, or misfortunes, brought them tO: the 
secluded village on the sandy shore of the Atlantic. He fought 
to be permitted to guard in person the alleys or streets of the 
present New York, this was denied and a tax was levied upon 
him together with the other Jews instead. But he was persistent 
and through courts and appeals to Holland he conquered his 
opponents and became a soldier equal to the Dutchmen. 

Abraham de Lucena was another fighting Jewish pioneer, 
but he fought for the dead. A petition to grant a site for a 
cemetery was not tolerated — the Dutch seemed to think that 
that piece of God's earth was not destined to become a Jewish 
burying-ground — but the Abraham of New York like unto the 
Abraham of Heth succeeded at the end to purchase a place 
where Jewish dead were laid to rest. 

After the capture of New Amsterdam by the British 
(1664) the Jews appear to have been prosperous and sixteen 
years later the Shaarith Israel congregation was organized. 



JEWISH PIONEERS IN AMERICA 87 

But there can be no record found of their progress until the 
dawn of the eighteenth century, excepting that Newport was 
enriched by the presence of ninety famihies of Jews who' immi- 
grated thither from Curacao-, and it is also said that in 1658 
about fifteen Jewish families came to Newport and introduced 
Masonry. 

The close of the seventeenth century left the people of 
Israel past the month of March and at the dawn of April. 
During the century we met a cloud here, a storm there, but it 
was no longer that cloud nor that wind which kills the life of 
Nature, but which destroys the snow, the ice, the frozen 
ground, and calls forth the plants and the grass, the trees and 
the birds, w^hich parts winter from summer, which brings light 
by day and cheerfulness by night. 



88 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER VIII. 

ANTE-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD IN AMERICA, AND PRE-EMANCI- 
PATION YEARS IN EUROPE AMONG THE JEWS, I7OO-I776. 

Conditions in Europe — Kabalah and the Rabbis — ^Judah Chas- 
sid — Querido Z'bi — Cha}dm Malach — Moses Chayim Luz- 
zatO' — Jews in New York, New Port, Georgia, Pennsylvania, 
Maryland, New England, South Carolina — Three Stars in 
Europe — Reconstruction of Judaism — The Frankists. 

The dawn of the century of "Philosophy and Revolution" 
found Israel sunk in a deep lethargy, indifferent to his*fate, 
woes and lack of progress, demonstrating no desire to keep 
pace with the advanced ideas of the age, caring but little to 
tjphold his claim of primogenitureship in civilization and learn- 
ing among the nations of the earth, exhibiting no zeal to en- 
hance his journey along with the swiftly moving column of the 
human race toward the summit of progressiveness, and aiming 
at no destination which might put an end to the everlasting 
misunderstanding between him and the rest of mankind. Is- 
rael fell in a slumber because he sorely was in need of rest. 
His feet were swollen strolling across the globe for countless 
generations; his hands became powerless, nay paralized, car- 
rying his wander staff night and day and fighting continually 
against enemies, animals and fate; his head was bent beneath 



ANTE-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD 



a yoke of a lamentable past and a burden of a gloomy future ; 
his heart became faint witnessing* the most hideous scenes of 
tortures perpetrated against his ancestors, and overfilled with 
sorrow because of his own distress; his body wounded, bruis- 
ed, bearing numberless scars received at the hand of every 
creed and race, so, involuntarily, he fell asleep' and sunk into 
sweet dreams. He rested to accumulate strength, to invigorate 
himself, toi gain power for new struggles, to be prepared for 
new exiles, martyrdom, massacres and expulsions, or, perhaps, 
to get ready for a new epoch, new tidings, which, peradven- 
true, will shortly come to pass and regenerate mankind, which, 
probably, will restore unto him his }'outhful strength, infuse 
him with new enthusiasm, which might divide the future from 
the past with a fence of liberty, equality and brotherly love, 
which might erect a ladder for mankind to ascend to^ an era of 
peace and then all human families will incorporate themselves 
into one great brotherhood. Thus did Israel sleep because of 
fatigue, and was charmed with happy dreams. 

Only an occasional expulsion, an incidental massacre,- a 
token of shame attached to his topmost garment and quite fre- 
quent accusations stirred the otherwise tranquil ghetto- life 
and marred the happiness of the dreamers, else a deadly 
absence oi consciousness was apparent in every ghetto. 

Even the ravaging soldiers of Peter the Great and Charles 
of Sweden, the ver}^ booming of deadly projectiles which greet- 
ed the eighteenth century were insufficient to bring Israel to his 
feet and awaken him fro^m his slumber. 

Kabalah of the strangest kind, amounting, almost, to an- 
thropomorphitism, was predominating Israel, and many new 



go THE JEWS OF IOWA. 



ideas foreign to Judaism were introduced. The Rabbis, who 
hitherto were the pillar of science and learning, turned their 
attention wholly to mysticism and planned continually how to 
adopt new methods of life according to the teachings of Kabal- 
ism. They were successful in the latter, for soon Kabalah be- 
came, not only the main fountain of Juduaism, but even the 
very vitality of Jewish thought and the foothold of Israel's 
temporal existence were based upon it. Healing of the sick, 
bestowing blessings upon the distressed, driving out evil spirits 
(Gilgiiliin) from the possessed and solving enigmas among 
Srophin and creatures of Lilith (Queen of demons) became 
part of the Rabbis' duties, and the ever-believing masses fol- 
lowed them blindly without a resenting murmur. 

Messiah was their daily subject, and every war, every dis- 
turbing element which appeared upon the surface of Europe 
was welcomed as an omen forecasting his approach. Indeed, 
the hope for the re-establishment of the glory of Judah and the 
reign of righteousness upon Mount Zion was never more anx- 
iously expected. A general chaotic gloom was prevalent 
thrO'Ughout the first half of the eighteenth century. Here we 
behold the sainted Judah Chassid with a host of 1500 Polish 
Jews strolling across Europe on his famous march (1700) to 
Jerusalem where he expected to witness the appearance of Mes- 
siah, and we are stricken with sorrow that fate was so unkind 
to him, for even he, like unto Judah Halevy, died the day he 
touched the holy ground of Israel's land ; and there we indig- 
nantly turn our faces from the inpudent wife of Sabbatai 
Z'bi who brought her brother, Jacob (Ouerido Z'bi) and 
passed him off as her son by the notorious pseudo' — Messiah, 



ANTE-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD 91 

causing once more a revival of shameless pseudo' — Messian- 
ism in Israel. At one end of Europe we are struck with admir- 
ation for Rabbi Yechiel Heilpeim of Minsk, Lithnania (Sader 
ha-Doroth) and at another end we are preplexed to behold a 
Chayim Mallach carrying a pillar of darkness through the Jew- 
ries of the world and quenching the last spark of Israel's light. 
From one corner sings the heavenly muse o^f Moses Chayim 
Luzzato in the language of Moses and Isaiah, and from an- 
other breaks forth the dismal voice of Nehemiah Chiya Chay- 
an's fanaticism and causes a pestilence of degradation, to^ strike 
upon Judah. 

Only the English, Dutch and Italian Jews made some gain 
during those dark days ; names of millionaires, great merchants 
and learned Rabbis, fit to' represent Judahism before the na- 
tions, appear. But Poland, Turkey, Germany and Lithnania 
were over filled with a matchless fanaticism, and the Kabalis- 
tic dogmas dragged them backward. They appear to^ have 
lost all their traditional love for everything progressive, and 
become accustomed to exist in this world as a passive element, 
doing nO' harm and striving for nothing good. But soon con- 
ditions were toi be changed and in less than twoi score years and 
ten Israel stood foremost in the activities of that memorable 
century. 

The progress of the Jews in North America, prior to the 
Revolutionary War, continued somewhat slow. The largest 
Jewish colony, Newport, did not exceed one thousand souls 
(200 families.) But the adventures of those pioneers are full 
of interest and bear every characteristic semblance of the early 
days of American history. 



92 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



NEW YORK : The British sentiment was strongly anti- 
Jewish when the Dutch were conquered and the New Nether- 
lands became English territory, for the Jews, as yet, had no 
political recognition in the British Empire, but at the very dawn 
of the eighteenth century, a noteworthy incident l>ecame a 
happy omen for the Jews under the English government. In 
1700, Lord Behmond, the Governor of New York, ran short 
in cash and was greatly distressed because of being unable to 
pay up his soldiers their wages which the latter pressed sorely 
upon him ; being preplexed, he determined to go about the town 
and find some one who would advance him money on an official 
voucher and of all of the New York inhabitants, three Jews 
cashed his vouchers, and he remembered them in his report to 
the English authorities. 

At that time the most prominent merchants among the New 
lYork Jews were, Abraham Lucena, Nathan Levy (son of Ash- 
er Levy) and Louis Gomez, who were, indeed, of vital import- 
ance to the commerce of New York. 

In 1727, the General Assembly of New York manifested 
consideration for the Jews by striking out the words ''upon the 
true faith of a Christian," from the oath which a witness in 
court had to take, this is easily recognized to have been the most 
liberal measure taken by any legislative body in favor of the 
jews in those days when only scorn met their appearance in 
any land. 

Their number, must have Ijeen reinforced during the first 
quarter of the century, for, in addition to the Shaarith Israel 
synagogue, the congregation of Mill street, organized in 1682, 
erected a synagogue and dedicated it in^ 1727, which shows 
that the community must have been quite large. 



ANTE-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD 93 

The authorities were very hberal in their treatment toward 
the Jews, in fact the Jews enjoyed more privileges than the 
Catholics, but as yet noi suffrage was granted to the enterpris- 
ing Jewish piooeers. 

Their number must have been increasing gradually as it 
appears from a very unhappy report by Lord Clinton, Gover- 
nor of New York, in 1749. The report reads, that a Jewish 
family, who had lately arrived fronii Holland, suffered much 
from a gang of disorderly neighbors; for the latter, disliking 
their mannerism, fell upon them, broke their windows and 
doors and smashed their furniture to pieces. Those were 
"heroic" days, indeed. 

The community in general became wealthy and influential 
before the outbreak of war and many Jewish names, worthy, 
indeed, of being the ancestors of the greatest Jewry in the 
world, appear between the years 1745- 1776. The most prom- 
inent pioneers, however, were Uriah Hendrikos, whose grand- 
children were the first Jewish millionaires in America. Hymon 
Levy, (who employed the great-great-grandfather of Ex- 
mayor Seth Low, of New York, as bookkeeper, and the father 
of the Astor family in America, as clerk,) Solomon Simson, 
Moses M. Haas and the heirs of Asher Levy. Abraham Lu- 
cena and Gershomi Mendes Seixas were the two most noted 
Rabbis of New York prior to 1776. 

NEWPORT: Besides the few Jews who fled from. New 
York during the rigorous reigni of Peter vStyvesant, but few 
others appear to have settled in Newport between 1677- 
1745. Those who' continued under Roger Williams appear to 
have been successful, for in 1705, mention is made of the first 
soap manufacturers in Rhode Island to have been Jews, and 



94 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



quite a few of them were prominent merchants and bankers as 
early as 171 5. During the years 1720-50 Hberal treat- 
ments were accorded to the Jews and many prominent famihes 
were even granted distinctions no other inhabitants enjoyed. 
This was probably due to the invaluable services rendered to 
the government by Moses Lopez in translating important docu- 
ments from the Spanish into English, and to the real greatness 
of the families Rivera, Pollock, Hart and Aaron Lopez whose 
enterprising spirit elevated the commerce of Newport and made 
it the commercial center of the New World. It is recorded that 
at one time, Aaron Lopez, owned as many as thirty vessels, and 
that through their merits the Jews have gained a reputation 
unequalled by any race who fathomed the Atlantic to establish 
itself in the land of "Gold and Indians." 

In 1760, the Newport community was enriched by the ar- 
rival of Rev. Isaac Touro, father of the famous Touro family 
in this counti*y. He came thither from Jamaica together with 
a few other Jews, and finding in him a spiritual leader of no 
mean ability, th^ Newport community placed him at the head 
of its congregation Jeshaut Israel. Two years later the most 
famous of American synap-ogues, which adorns Newport till 
this day was dedicated to the God of Israel. 

Jamaica, at the beginning of the- eighteenth century, was a 
flourishing Jewish center and from that island came the charm- 
ing verses of the first Jewish poet in the New World, Daniel 
Israel (Lopez Leguna.) Originally the Jews came to Jamacia 
from Surinam. Surinam, during the seventeenth century, was 
adorned with a wealthy Jewish community. When England 
surrendered Surinam to the Dutch (1662) a clause in the ar- 



ANTE-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD 95 

tide of surrender provided the liberty for all British subjects 
to leave that colony. The Jews who were the organ of vitality 
in Surinan wanted to withdraw to Jamacia, but the Dutch, see- 
ing that the island would be ruined if the Jewish resources were 
removed from it, refused to grant them the permission to 
leave. The Jews resented the ill treatment and finally they 
were recognized as English subjects and part of them departed 
for Jamacia. Hence were the Jews on this continent recogniz- 
ed as British citizens long before their brothers in European 
England were even tolerated. 

In 1873, another Rabbi who' appears to have been schlarly 
indeed, became connected with the Yeshaut Israel congregation 
of Newport. His name was Chayim Isaac Karigel, a native of 
Palestine. He became famous as a preacher and enjoyed the 
friendship of many Gentiles among whom was the famous 
Ezra Stiles who admired him and mentioned his name many 
times in his writings. On May 28 of that year. Rabbi Karigel 
delivered a sermon in the Spanish tongue which was subse- 
quently translated into English and from it the progressive- 
ness of those who left the Asiatic or European boundaries is 
easily distinguished. Close to the outbreak of the Revolution 
the Newport community numbered 200 families who were 
wealthy, progressive, loved by their neighbors and friendly to 
each other. 

Maryland is also numbered among the early Jewish colo- 
nies, although it is not likely that any Jewish organization ex- 
isted there prior to the Revolution. Remarkable, indeed, was 
the law that anyone who would openly deny his faith in the 
Trinity shared the fate of a murderer, for he was to be put to 



96 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



death. Dr. Jacob. Lumbrozo, a Jewish planter and physician, 
was the Jewish pioneer in that state and at one time was con- 
victed for daring- to beHeve in Monotheism, and, had it not 
been for a manifesto in honor of Richard Cromwell he would 
have been put to death. 

In New England, the mention of a Jewish convert, Judah 
Monis, who was professor of Hebrew in Harvard college, and 
of Jacob Lucena (probably a brother to Abraham Lucena, of 
New York) is made during the seventeenth century, but no 
other Jews seemed tO' have ventured an establishment in those 
states before America was conquered by Americans. 

Philadelphia and Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, were the next 
Jewish communities in this country prior to 1776. In the form- 
er Jewish services were held in 1747, and in the latter a Jewish 
cemetery was purchased during the same year. Joseph Simon 
was the pioneer in Lancaster (1740) and J. Aaron was the first 
Jewish settler in Philadelphia (1703.) Meyer Hart appears 
to have been one of the founders of Easton, Pa., (1750) and 
Jewish inhabitants also appear at an early date in Schaefers- 
ville of that state. 

The Sunny South cast its rays of light upon 40 unfortunate 
Jewish families who landed at Savannah just on the day Gov- 
ernor Oglothorpe was dividing plantations, town lots, gardens 
and farms to those who consented to locate in Georgia (July 
7, 1733.) Two congregations, one succeeding another, were 
founded in Savannah before the outbreak of the Revolution. 
The culture of grapes was introduced in Georgia by Abraham 
D' Lyon, and the first physician in that state was also a Jew, 
Dr. Nunis, who came together with the 40 families. 



ANTE-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD 97 

Several of the Savannah Jews left for Charleston, South 
Carolina, and services were held in that city as early as 1750; 
later, in 1757, a cemetery was also bought. 

Hardly 5,000 Jewish souls had the fortune of witness- 
ing the day of America's Declaration of Independence and lo, 
how scattered were they ! 

Meantime a spirit of regeneration swept the ghettoes of 
Europe, and a general resurrection took place in every seclud- 
ed colony of Jews, and while Frederick the Great was shaking 
the very foundations of the European countries, a revolutionary 
spirit in the camp of Israel became current, but it was not a 
call for arms, bloodshed, conquest or overthrow of an enemy. 
It was the storm which parts one season from another the 
conquest which the sick experience over death and remain 
among the living and the call for volunteers to join the for- 
ward march which leads to a period oi activity, life and pro- 
gress. Israel ceased to sleep. A spark of day light broke 
through the iron bars of the ghettoes and incited the passive 
inhabitants to rise and take a firm stand in temporal matters. 

Israel Baalshem (born 1698, died 1759) put an end to the 
misinterpreted doctrines of Kabalah and founded the great 
party in Israel known as Chassidim. Berr Mizricz champion- 
ed his doctrine throughout Poland with marked success. The 
new creed became very lively in its preaching and the hitherto 
quiet and slumbering element in Israel began to display signs 
of life. 

Noble, indeed, and great was Israel of Miedziloz (Baal- 
shem) the father of Chassidism in Israel, but his followers 



98 THE JEWS OF lOVVA 



have not carried his doctrines to the point he aimed at. They 
entered to deep into the mysteries of devotional prayers in ex- 
pectation of discovering the spiritual within themselves and — 
as a class they have failed. 

Another light appeared upon the horizon of Europe and it 
may safely be said that his birthday (1720) marked the period 
of reconstruction in Israel's life. They had ceased to be the 
''people of the book" until Elijah Goan begun to flourish in 
the city of Vilna, Lithuania. He was strongly opposed to 
Chassidism; his followers were, therefore, named Misnagdim 
(opponents) and they were, in but a short time, the major part 
of the House of Jacob. From one end of the world even unto 
the other his fame was spread and his doctrines were embraced 
eagerly by all lovers of learning and science. His disciple, 
Rabbi Chayim, established a seat of learning (Yeshibah) in 
the beautiful townlet Valozin and from there the law came 
forth. The Goan were wont to say: "How can one under- 
stand God and his greatness if the magnificence of the universe 
which is displayed in science will be hidden of man?" So far 
the spiritual revival. 

But Israel still had everything but recognition, liberty 
and a secured temporal existance, he still was the object of 
scorn, his religion misunderstood, his tradition misrepresented 
and his holiest feelings trampled beneath the feet of every 
creed and denomination. He needed an able exponent, a pat- 
riotic spokesman, who might represent him in the courts of 
Europe and call forth respect for his old age, tolerance for his 
presence and rest from his enemies. 



ANTE-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD 99 

Such a one on a still broader scale was born unto Israel. 
He was Moses Mendelssohn. He came unto Israel with a 
torch of light and led him to an epoch of sunshine. He was a 
philosopher, patriot, statesman, scholar, orator and poet — all 
for the sake of his people, for above all he was a Jew filled 
with endless love for his oppressed people and he became the 
mediator between Israel and the nations, like unto Moses in 
the days of Egyptian bondage. He was the real star of the 
eighteenth century among Israel. He brought about the pe- 
riod of emancipation and equalizatiom of the Jews in Europe. 

Among the other scholars who flourished contemporaneous- 
ly with Israel Baalsheni, Elijah of Vilna and Mendelssohn and 
took active parts in all Jewish matters were Jonathan Eibshicz 
of Prague and Naphtoly Vizal of Konigsborg. But 
the list of Israel's great men during the ante-emancipation 
days were too^ numerous to enumerate them by name, for Vilna 
alone could boast, at the close of the eighteenth century, of a 
hundred Goanim. 

Simultaneously with this glorious event in Israel's exist- 
ance, during that memorable century, a considerable amount 
of mischief and misfortune was brought about upon the Jews 
by Jacob Frank Levkoivitz, the founder of the Frankists 
(1757) and countless are the victims who fell into his snare 
of heretic ideas. 

But this was natural for the age, for a general reconstruc- 
tion had to take place in Europe and the world over ; Washing- 
ton and Napoleon were yet to appear and a new era was yet 
hidden beneath the mouth of the cannon and the sharp edge of 
the sword. . .1 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER IX. 

ISRAELIS NATURALIZATION AMONG THE NATIONS^ I776-1825. 

Declaration of Independence and the Jews — George Wash- 
ington, Israel's Friend — His Letters — European Jews — 
Their Emancipation in Austria — Equalization in France — 
Germany — Na].x>leon and Synhedrion — Judaism in America 
• — The War of 1812 — Mordecai Emanuel Noah. 

The declaration promulgated by the first Congress 
of the New World that "the United Colonies are 
and of right ought to be free and independent 
states," echoed the cry of the entire human race 
for freedom and independence and marked the dawn of the 
final triumph of liberty over tyranny, of freedom over slavery 
and of republicanism over autocracy. Never before was the 
mouth of a cannon or the edge of a sword filled with so much 
mercy, righteousness, justice and liberty as when it brought 
alx)ut destruction upon the monarchical arms of George III, 
and extorted liberty and independence from his uncompromis- 
ing clutches; never before was mankind engaged in a better 
cause than when patriotism incited them to shatter the yokes 
of oppression and slavery with their own flesh and blood, and 
never before has man offered better sacrifices to please the 
heavens than when his blood formed rivulets on the streets of 



ISRAEL'S NATURALIZATION 



his cities for the sake of saving the future generations from 
sinking into the depths of monarchical absolutism. That his- 
torical moment, when, on September 3, 1783, England recog- 
nized the independence of her former territories and subjects, 
was indeed the most sublime one in the annals of govern- 
ments, as well as the framing of the United States constitu- 
tion was the most advanced step yet taken by the human race. 

For Israel it meant a new era, an omen of final recogni- 
tion, toleration and equalization throughout the world. For 
the first time in the history of his wandering has the foothoW 
of the Jew been firmly established and his sacred traditions 
wholly protected from future attacks. And, notwithstanding 
the small number they had representing them in this country 
during that famous period, they have gloriously shone in every 
direction and patriotically distinguished themselves upon every 
footstep they have made during the days of war and gloom. 

Rabbi Gershom Mendes Seixas, when the British occupied 
New York, displayed his zealous patriotism in gathering many 
members of his congregation and carrying along all the 
necessities for the establishment of congregation, fled to Phil- 
adelphia and founded the famous "Mikevey Israel" synagogue 
in that city. 

The Newport community, seeing that the English were 
overpowering the patriots and fearing a final British victory, 
not only yielded all its able-bodied men to the cause of inde- 
pendence, but out of patriotism many removed their families 
from thence, although it was the most desirable location for 
their thriftiness and commercial inclinations. 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



George Washington not only recognized the Jews as a use- 
ful class in the republic, but even had a warm friendship for 
them socially. Most of the able-bodied men of every 
Jewish colony joined Washington's forces and one of 
his aide-de-camps was the Jewish hero and patriot, Col. 
David S. Frank. Visiting Easton, Pennsylvania, he was en- 
tertained at the home of the most prominent citizen of that 
flourishing town, who was a patriot, a noble man of esteem 
and fortune, ^Michael Hart, the Jew. 

George Washington's affection for the Jewish people is 
best displayed in his letters to the Jews of Newport, Savannah, 
New York, Philadelphia, Charleston and Richmond, Va., a 
full text of which is here reproduced because of the great 
good their circulation promulgates wherever they are read. 

One year after George Washington was inaugurated as the 
first President of the Republic he founded, the Jews of New- 
port, upon his visit to their community, presented to him a 
very warm address, and the following is his reply : 

GEORGE WASHINGTON TO THE JEWS OF NEW- 
PORT, 1790. 

"Gentlemen : While I receive with much satisfaction vour 
address replete with expressions of esteem, I rejoice in the 
opportunity of assuring you that I shall always retain grateful 
remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced on my visit 
to Newport from all classes of citizens. 

"The reflection on the days of difficulty and danger which 
are past is rendered the more sweet from a consciousness that 
they are succeeded by days of uncommon prospcity ana ?>«• 
cnr.'ty. 



ISRAEL'S NATURALIZATION 103 

"If we have wisdom to make the best use of the advantages 
with which we are now favored, we cannot fail, under the just 
administration of good government, to become a great and 
happy people. 

*'The citizens of the United States of America have a 
right to applaud themselves .'^or having given to mankind ex- 
amples of a large and broad policy, a policy worthy of imi- 
tation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and imrnunities 
of citizenship. 

"It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were 
by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed 
the exercise of their inherent national right, for, happily, the 
government of the United States, whiv h gives to bigotry no 
sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that ihey 
who live under its protection should demean themselves as 
good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual sup- 
port. 

"It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my char- 
acter not to avow that / am phased with your favorable opin- 
ion of my administration^ and fervent wishes for my telicity. 

"May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in 
this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the 
other inhabitants, while everyone shall sit in safety under his 
own vine and fig tree and there shall be naught to make him 
afraid. 

"May the Father of all mercies scatter light and not dark- 
ness upon our paths and make us all in our several vocations 
useful here and in His own time and way everlastingly happy. 

"G. WASHINGTON." 



I04 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



To the Hebrew Congregations of Philadelphia, New York, 
Charleston and Richmond. 

''Gentlemen: The liberty of sentiment towar'S each other 
which marks every political and religious denomination oi 
men in this country, stands unparalleled in the history of 
nations. 

"The affection of such a people is a treasure beyond the 
reach of calculation, and the repeated proofs which my fellow 
citizens have given of their attachment to me and approbation 
of ir.y doings, form the purest source of my temporal policy. 
The affectionate expressions of your address again excite my 
gratitude and receive my warmest acknowledgement. 

''The power and goodness of the Almighty, so thoroughly 
manifested in the events of our late glorious revolution, and 
His kind interposition in our behalf, have been no less visible 
in the establishment of our present equal government. In war 
He directed the sword and in peace He has ruled in our council. 
My agency in both has been guided by the best intention and 
a sense of duty I owe to my country. 

"And, as my exertions have hitherto been amply rewarded 
by the approbation of my fellow citizens, I shall endeavor to 
deserve a continuance of it by my future conduct. 

"May the same temporal and eternal blessings which you 
implore for me rest upon your congregations." 

"G. WASHINGTON." 
George Washington to the Jews of Savannah. 

"Gentlemen: I thank you with great sincerity for your 
congratulations on my appointment to the office which I have 



ISRAEL'S NATURALIZATION 105 

the honor to hold by the unanimous choice of my fellow citizens 
and especially the expressions you are pleased to use in testi- 
fying the confidence that is reposed in me by your congrega- 
tion. 

"As the delay which has naturally intervened between my 
election and your address has afforded me an opportunity for 
appreciating the merits of the Federal Government and for 
communicating your sentiments of its administration, I have 
to express my satisfaction rather than regret at a cir- 
cumstance which demonstrates (upon experiment) your at- 
tachment to the former as well as approbation of the latter. 

"I rejoice that a spirit of liberality and philanthropy is much 
more prevalent than it formerly was among the enlightened 
nations of the earth, and that your brethren will benefit thereby 
in proportion as it shall become still more extensive; happily 
the people of the United States have in many instances ex- 
hibited examples worthy of imitation, the salutary influences 
of which will doubtless extend much farther if gratefully en- 
joying those blessings of peace which (under the favor of 
heaven) liave been attained by fortitude in war. tliey should 
conduct themselves with reverence to the Deity and charity 
toward their fellow creatures. 

"May the same wonder-working Deity, who long since 
delivered the Hebrews from their Egyptian oppressors, 
planted them in a promised land, whose providential agency 
has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United 
States as an independent nation, still continue to water them 



io6 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



with the dews of heaven and make the inhabitants of e\ery 
denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual b^cs5» 
ings of that people whose God is Jehovah. 

"G. WASHINGTON." 

Surely, when God breatheed into the nostrils of Washing- 
ton the breath of life, the thrones of all tyrants trembled and 
the angels of peace cheerfully smiled. 

One day, Jehovah, from Heavenly throne, 
The saintly cherubim thus addressed : 
"For earth's tyrants, blows, not feasible to shun 
Do plan, and by aye by mankind blessed. 

*'A nioi, yea, for men a man, O good Lord, 
Create, among purest be he most chaste, 
Peaceful, yet a lion when arm'd with sword; 
Let him raze tyrants' jxjmp, put them to waste." 

*' 'Well,' said God; 'Moses, Isaiah, Caesar, 
Incorporate will I you three in one. 
Who shall between king and slave, create par. 
And name will I him — George Washington.' " 

The magic power of the equalization of mankind so wisely 
inaugurated by American statesmen speedily crossed the /vt- 
lantic and commenced to destroy tyrants, overthrow dynasties 
and infuse consciousness and self-respect among the hitherto 
lethargical classes. And, along with the roaring stream of all 
creeds and denominations, a crimson rivulet, representing the 
blood-stained pages of Israel's history, was conspicuous. Men- 
delssohn had filed the protest of his afflicted people and his 
voice echoed with an abrupt blast in the courts of all Eu- 



ISRAEL'S NATURALIZATION 107 

ropean monarchs which sounded in the latters' ears Hke a 
voice breaking through the night air from the midst of the 
restless North Sea. 

But five years after the declaration of American indepen- 
dence the Austrian ruler, Joseph II, issued a toleration edict 
(October 19, 1781), shattering the wall of Catholicism and 
granting important concessions tO' the Jews of his kingdom and 
establishing a religious emancipation among the various 
creeds and denominations of his dominion. These were indeed 
the first rays of sunshine to remove the folded obscurity from 
the Germanic horizon and show Israel the path of future de- 
light and recognition in those lands. Nevertheless, Germany 
proper, under the rulership of Frederick the Great, continued 
tc treat the Jews rigorously, and only the great Mendelssohn 
had the distinction of becoming a ''protected Jew," while the 
remainder of his brothers could almost on any day be expelled 
from the land of the philosophical king. 

France, itself drenched in blood of revolution, was next to 
champion the cause begun by Mendelssohn. Berr Isaac Berr, 
an ardent admirer of the latter, pursued the mission of equal- 
izing all the Jews of France, and the illustrious Mirabeau in- 
troduced the project in official circles. Many hours of dis- 
turbance reigned in the French chamber of parliament, many 
heated debates prO' and con have occupied the valuable time of 
the liberators of France, and many stormy scenes were wit- 
nessed at each session when the Jewish question was the sub- 
ject of the day. Until, on November 13, 1791, the equaliza- 
tion of the Jews in France was irrevocably established, the 
unfortunate monarch, Louis XVI, who was but a mere shadow 



io8 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



of a king during these days, had the good fortune and remark- 
able distinction to affix his signature to that famous document, 
ment. Remarkable, indeed, how the fortune of Israel followed 
closely the destruction of autocracy and the downfall O'f 
tyranny ! 

After the death of Israel Baalshem (1759), Elijah of 
Vilna (1797) and Mendelssohn (1786), the Jews were divided 
into three great divisions, and unfortunately, each division, 
encouraged by the somewhat liberal trend of the times, ex- 
hausted its strength pulling to extremes, which very soon 
created a period of chaos in the camp of Israel, and an intel- 
lectual degradation brought about an internal disruption which 
led each division to a climax of anything but temporal happi- 
ness. Chassidism was excommunicated, Mendelssohnian doc- 
trine was condemned and Elijahism was refused to be enter- 
tained outside of Lithuania and Jerusalem. The Berlinite?. 
with monstrous steps of assimilation, led by David Friedland, 
who alleged to be a genuine follower of Mendelssohn, started 
a movement of anti-rabbinism, and being re-enforced by the 
lusty youths of Austria, who partook of the fitiit of equaliza- 
tion, created a Judaism which was dreaded even by members 
of other religious denominations. The Baalshemites spread 
their net throusrhout Galicia and Vohlin, and, because the 
Misnagdim (followers of Elijah) studied the Talmud and 
loved learning, they embraced the establishment of Chassidic 
Rabbis, or Zadikiin, who were devoted to prayer and kabalah, 
and refused to tolerate science or even the study of Hebrew 
literature. The Elijahites also deigned not to follow the foot- 
steps of their leader, for they had become addicted to rabbinical 
literature only, and even they refused to tolerate any sign of 
progress. Nevertheless, because of their love for study and 



ISRAEL'S NATURALIZATION 109 

knowledge, the Lithuanian Jews in but a short period were 
considered the most learned and scholarly group in Israel, 
for soon the dawn of Hashkolah (progress) was heralded and 
the most enlightened era in the history of the Jewish people 
was at hand. 

Napoleon, standing on the lofty hills of Palestine, looked 
backward on the glories of Israel and beheld what the ages 
have left of the conquering soldiers of David and Judah the 
Maccabean, and saw a vision similar to that of Ezekiel in the 
"Valley which was full of dry bones," and he let forth a cry 
that the bones be resurrected, that Israel's nationalism be reviv- 
ed, that the kingdom of Judea be given to the Judeans. But 
there came no response. Long since has Zachariah ex- 
claimed : "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith 
the Lord of Hosts." 

Yet was that mighty soldier impressed with the Jewish 
virtues, and when he became President of the French Republic 
the Jewish question was brought before the State Council, and 
after many months of debate and continual discussion (30th 
of April, 1806, to the 20th of October, 1807) Napoleon rein- 
stated that great institution of Israel, which lost its power 
in the burning flame which consumed Israel's Temple; he or- 
dered that a Sanhedrim to be re-established in Israel. What 
dreamer was this great Napoleon! 

Before Napoleon's Waterloo the German Jews gained 
their equalization and many concessions were granted to 
them. On February 22, 18 12, the Jews of Mecklenburg were 
emancipated by the Duke Frederick Franz, allowing intermar- 



THE JEWS OF IOWA. 



riage between Jew and Gentile — the first concession of that 
kind in Europe — and Frederick WilHam III issued an edict 
of equahzation on March ii, 1812. 

It is a conceded fact that during the wars for freedom the 
Jews played a conspicuous part, and their influence carried 
great significance along with it, not to speak of the great in- 
fluence exerted by the Rothchilds during the final climax of 
European struggles. 

But no sooner was fortune parted from the heels of Na- 
poleon than the Jews of Europe were again thrown into a pit 
of horror, which is called unto this day anti-Semitism. 

The few thousand of Israel's heroes in America, meantime, 
carried the secret of enterprise and commerce from one end 
of the United States even unto^ the other. Besides those in New 
York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maryland, South Caro'lina, 
Virginia and Georgia, communities sprang forth and stragglers 
were to be found in many other states and territories of this 
country at the time of the war during 181 2, and it is safe to 
say, although no definite account is obtainable, that even the 
Northwest was touched by Jewish feet at the dawn of the nine- 
teenth century. 

In religion, up till that time, every congregation was 
Sphardic, with a touch of medievalism, for in those days, dis- 
tinguished for the absence of a vigorous press, of communi- 
cableness between nation and nation, of all modern inventions, 
the pioneers could not l>e carried by the tide of Berlinism, Chas- 
sidism or Talmudism, could not follow the evolution of Ju- 
daism of any sort except the rites and laws handed down to 



ISRAEL'S NATURALIZATION 



them by their fathers. It is hard to assert whether or not the 
American Jew had ever seen a copy of Cairo's Sulchan Aruch 
prior to the arrival of PoHsh Jews in Philadelphia, which was 
in the second half of the eighteenth century. They were strict 
followers of many ceremonies and customs inaugurated by 
Maimonides, while Judaism in Germany and Poland had taken 
a new aspect in all Jewish matters long since. 

The fathers of the American Jew, as appears from traces left 
behind them, and no training for their children in Judaism 
beyond the instructions received from the early rab- 
bis, which consisted only of oral lessons in the principles of 
Judaism, with possibly instructions in reading^ Hebrew, but 
there was no school for Hebrew, or Talmud, or the later codes 
of Jewish laws. They were too few to acquire all these, and 
the times were altogether far from being favorable to the es- 
tablishment of schools of such nature. Be it said to their cred- 
it that as little as there remains of the Sphardic stock in Ameri- 
ca, they are even unto this day staunch adherents of Judaism 
as expounded by the great sages of Spain and remain firm in 
their convictions despite the general trend of reformation. 

During the war of 1812, we find once more Jewish patriots 
heading the list of heroes and self-sacrificing citizens of the 
new republic; again we behold Israel redeeming himself from 
the false accusations of his enemies that he is not fit for de- 
fense or aggressiveness in time of war, for they denounce him 
as a coward. 

The most distinguished Jewish citizen during those days, 
and for many years after, was Mordecai Emanuel Noah. He 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



was born in Philadelphia on the 14th day of July, 1785, and 
studied law in Charleston, S. C, whither his parents had sub- 
sequently removed. He was a genius, endowed with 
every faculty of becoming one of the greatest men of 
his age. He was a splendid jurist, endowed with a fine 
literary taste, a diplomatist, and above all a patriot. At 
the age of twenty-six he was appointed by President 
Monroe to represent the government of the United 
States in Riga, Russia. And he, indeed, was the first great 
American Jew . who, learning the condition of the Russian 
Jews, had the good sense to appreciate the fact that the Jews 
of the land of the czar will have to work out their destiny and 
solve their problem outside of that accursed czardom. 

The first quarter of the nineteenth century witnessed many 
changes throughout the world and it also affected the Jews in 
so far as their relationship with the nations is concerned, but, 
as yet, no Jewish concentrated power existed in any land 
strong enough to protect them in time of distress, and as yet 
they were merely tolerated among the nations of the old world, 
while their number in this country was very insignificant to 
play a great part in political matters — all of these were yet to 
come to pass. 



DAYS OF REGENERATION 



113 



CHAPTER X. 

DAYS OF REGENERATION AND ACTIVITY IN ISRAEL^ 1 825- 1 885. 

Causes of Anti-Semitism — ^Judaismi in England, France, Ger- 
many and Austria — Russian Hashklah and Political Condi- 
tions Among the Jews o^f the Czardom — Transition of 
Judaism in America — The Philadelphia Platform: — A Reply. 

The mark of the grandest century in the world's history is 
most indelibly impressed upon the Jewish people, and the gen- 
eral evolution and transformation of the world is most con- 
spicuous upon the Spinx-like people whose history is traced 
as far back as the days of Paradise. A homeless, persecuted, 
nay, almost enslaved people, who enjoyed no liberty for count- 
less generations, a people subjected for nearly nineteen cen- 
turies to the frenzy of every tyrant and despot, a people with- 
out political or social recognition, which wandered from one 
land to another as an object of scorn and hatred, as a toy upon 
the mighty waves of a stormy ocean, a people stricken by every 
cruel hand and besmirched by every heretic and fanatic, a 
people which was forced to live in seclusion and ostracism, in 
airless quarters and lightless dungeons, has in but few genera- 
tions, aye, in scarcely a century, become an object of pro- 
found respect and dread among the mightiest nations under 



114 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



the sun, has distinguished itself in every walk of life, has 
given the world genii who managed the affairs of nations, 
sealed the destinies of races, charmed mankind with song and 
verse, chisel and brush, and made so many enemies, among 
whom are the heroic sons and fair daughters of the Ayran race 
of Europe. For the latter the Jews are indeed to be loved and 
admired, since their former oppressors, who could, almost at 
any time, bring a band of Israelites and mock them even as the 
present sport amuses himself with his dogs, are now their 
enemies, call them forth on duels, dread their competition and 
engage themselves agitating and denouncing the former in- 
habitants of the ghettoes. In Europe the financier, the phy- 
sician, the jurist, the journalist, the playwright, the statesman, 
the craftsman, the mechanic, the constructor, the artist, the 
sculptor, the orator and the soldier dread their superior — the 
Jew. It is no longer the pitiful, helpless, miserable human be- 
ing who is despised, but it is "the people of the book," the 
men with brains, who are dreaded; and while original anti- 
Semitism was mingled with scorn and mockery, prejudice and 
bigotry, it has now become a fort of defense against a superior 
force, out of economical reasons. Hence, the coward; 
the weak, the unskilled, the idler, the impoverished aristocracy 
and the remaining store of medieval fanaticism compose the 
anti-Semitic forces in Europe. Surely there can be no Jewish 
question in a land willing to give a fair play to all classes, 
in a land whose pride is zvork, whose greatness is derived from 
competition. 

The Jewish people, in relation to its own life, to its inner 
problems, has exceeded all expectation. New rituals, new 



DAYS OF REGENERATION 115 

forms, an entire new culture, new aspects in religion — a new 
kind of life in every avenue of Jewish learning and Jewishness. 
A century of movements, ideas and reforms it was with the 
Jewish people, and judging from the splendid groundwork of 
the past, the future will bring about a gigantic structure such 
as has never been built by mankind. 

The Berlin Jews, with their assimilation policy, have 
quickly recognized their mistake; it was too valuable a sur- 
render to their new friends, the common enemy, for so little 
gain, too great a price for, a miserable temporal existence. The 
convert was embraced by the Germans as an ex- Jew, which 
meant only little advantage over former conditions, besides 
the ancient tie between Israel and his faith was too strong to 
be broken by mere flattery. Heine and Borne, with biting wit 
and convincing argument, were a living protest against the 
extreme wing of the German Jewry and a death-dealing blow 
to the ancient form of Jew-baiting. Yet the progressive ideas 
of Mendelssohn continued on a forward march, which turned 
the much despised German Jews into the present aristocracy of 
Israel in that country. True, the Talmud, the Hebrew lan- 
guage and much of Jewish learning generally was neglected 
by the German Jews. They have, nevertheless maintained the 
purities of Israel's law — the Torah — and preserved every sa- 
cred principle of his sublime tradition. Samson Raphael Hirsh, 
Zunz, Rapeport, Geiger and a host of others fo^unded the so- 
called German Jewish Orthodoixy, which was practically ideas 
of Judaism adapted to the present conditions of life. A strict- 
ness in the observance of all Jewish laws according to the 



ii6 THE JEWS OF lO ^A 



Sulchan Aruch is maintained in Germany till the present day, 
and nothing of the exalted principles of Judah was affected 
since the Liberation Year (1848). 

England, meantime, became dejDendent upon the Jewish 
people, not only because of their wealth, but because of their 
brain. Lord Beaconsfield (Benjamin Disraeli) has made 
England what it is today, and the Jews of England are indeed 
what the Jews of Spain were, in so far as nobility is concerned. 
Orthodoxy is continued in all English-Jewish homes and syna- 
gogues, and the menu at every function of a Jewish noble is 
strictly Kosher, according to the Mosaic dietary laws. For the 
Jewish people, England, during the nineteenth century, be- 
came a land of milk and honey, and the English-speaking peo- 
ples have become, collectively and individually, deliverers of 
the persecuted nation. 

France ceased to be what it was to Judaism in former cen- 
turies just after the dis-establishment of the Sanhedrin, and 
many Jews have left that country since the overthrow of the 
Na]x>leonic dynasty. The home of Solomon Izchaki (Rashi) 
has ceased tO' be a center of Judaism, and the higher classes — 
wealthy Jews — are carried upon the tide of French radical- 
ism. 

In Jewish philanthropy, Germany, France and England 
stand foremost, for in those countries dwell the wealthiest 
Jews in the world, and the self-sacrificing spirits of Mounte- 
fiore and Judith, Baron Hirsh and Clara de Hirsh and scores 
of other benevolent sons and daughters of Israel, remain 
matchless in the annals of the philanthropy of the world. The 



DAYS OF REGENERATION 117 

I. C. A. oif France, the Board of Guardians of England and 
the Berhn Charities remain a pyramid of humanity possible 
among the descendants of Abraham only. 

Austria distinguished itself with its great Jewish scholars 
and Orthodoxy was maintained throughout Hungary, Austria 
proper and Galicia — very much so in the latter. The great 
rabbis, Akiba Aiger and Moses Sopher, were the most illus- 
trious SQins among the rabbinate, and Krochmol among the 
secular scholars. Later in the nineteenth century the Galician 
Jews were greatly impoverished, and a Jewish question in its 
full rigor appeared upon the surface of that part of ancient 
Poland. Hungary was a great center of Jewish learning, par- 
ticularly Buda-Pest, but at present the Jews of that country 
are tew in number and very little study in rabbinical litera- 
ture is resorted to. Galicia has over 1,500,000 Jews, greatly in 
need of all modern conditions and sorely in want of a separa- 
tion from that sort of Chassidism which keeps them in a con- 
tinual dream and constant fear. But the rising generation is 
gradually revolting from the Taadikim, and Zionism has al- 
ready created a progressive movement and inaugurated the 
initiative which will lead them to the universal road of pro- 
gressiveness. 

The dawn in Russia among the Jews (if it might be called 
daylight) might be traced back to the accession of Nicholas 1 
to the throne of Russia (December, 1825), when the Russian 
government recognized the need of public schools among the 
Jews outside of their own chadariin (schools for the instruction 
of Hebrew and Jewish religion) and encouraged that move- 
ment by establishing such schools in Kishineff, Riga and 



ii8 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Odessa, and by opening a rabbinical seminary in Warsaw. All 
these cities were mostly inhabited by the Chassidim, ana soon 
the Berlin sentiment of the so-called Mendelssohnian followers 
removed to Voholin, which w^as the main base of the disciples 
of Baalshem and Berr Mezricz. The Chassidists, lacking much 
in the average knowledge of the laws of the Torah and Tal- 
mud, proved to be easy victims for the assimilators, but even 
here have the regressists otf Israel done little damage to the 
cause of Judaism. Their radicalism was speedily vanquished. 
It took but few Lithuanian-Jewish arguments to bring 
back all those who had gone astray to the camp of Israel, for 
they were misled through ignorance only, thinking the dogmas 
of Chassidism were equal to the laws of God. 

The first among the Mashkilim to prosecute the cause of 
progressiveness in Lithuania was Max Lilenthal (born 1815). 
He came to Vilna and planned to overthrow the existing sys- 
tem of rabbinism by advocating the establishment of a semi- 
nary which woiuld dO' away with many unnecessary studies and 
thereby turn out progressive rabbis. He succeeded in estab- 
lishing a rabbinical school, but his followers, or associates, de- 
ceived him, for they, indeed, were extremely radical an<1 
sought to overthrow Talmudic Judaism entirely. He there- 
fore came to America, where he played an important part 
among the fathers of Reform Judaism. 

But the Mendelssohn of Russia was Isaac B. Levenson, and 
of him it well may be said that he was the source of Russian- 
Jewish culture and education. Around him flocked the young, 
and his name became the magic of all those who craved for 
Hashkolah. 



DAYS OF REGENERATION 119 

The political dawn of the Russian Jews begins with the 
visit of Moses Montefiore and his devoted wife Judith to the 
land of czars (1846), and although they have not gained en- 
tire equalization, their conditions were materially changed for 
the better during the years 1846-82. At the accession of the 
best of all czars, Alexander II, to the throne of Russia (1855) 
many privileges were granted to the Jews, and their recogni- 
tion by that autocrat surpassed even their own expectation. 

In 1856, a Hebrew weekly began tO' appear in Prussia under 
the name ha-Magid, which was practically the first printed 
sheet in the language of the Bible in the entire history of 
Israel. From this weekly the Hebrew language grew contin- 
ually and a new Hebrew literature, equal to that O'f any mod- 
ern language, sprang forth in but twO' score and ten years. 
The works oi I. B. Levenson, A. Mapau, P. Smolenskin, M. 
A. Ginsburg, Ch. S. Slonimsky, N. Krachmial, I. H. Wise, 
Jacob Reifman, K. Shulman, the poets J. L. Gordon, A. D. 
Levinson (Michalissker) and his youthful son Michael Joseph, 
A. B. Gottlieber, M. M. Dohtzky, and indeed, hundreds oif 
others have made the Hebrew a living language second to none 
of all other modern tongues. 

Lithuania became the flomrishing center of secular and sa- 
cred literature, and the number of young mashkilim who sub- 
sequently became famous professors, jurists, physicians, ar- 
tists, authors, orators and rabbis is great indeed. They are to 
be found in the cities of Berlin, Paris, Vienna, London, New 
York and other great cities, not to speak of the vast number of 
scholars which still remains in Russia. 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



The self-sacrificing spirits displayed by zealous youths 
who left the tender care of their parents and started 
out in the wide world to make something of themselves 
remain matchless in the annals of the development of the hu- 
man race. Penniless, without expecting ever to get assis- 
tance from their poverty-stricken parents, barefooted, without 
a garment on their backs fit to appear on any street, half 
starved, skeleton-looking, with hearts full of pain, but with un- 
restrained ambitio'U and desire for study, thousands of youths 
could be seen marching across mount and dale, fathoming the 
mire of Lithuanian fields, townlets and forests with the sole 
aim of gaining kno-wledge and the solitary hope of obtaining 
a bench in the synagogue whereon to sleep and seven kind- 
hearted people who might provide for their bread, each one 
giving three meals every week until the summer or winter will 
pass by and their advancement in study will be that much 
faitlier. The Yeshiboths (seats of learning) brought forth 
more great men to the world and to the people of Israel than 
did the greatest universities in Europe, The very old syna- 
gogues, with the straw roofs, the very brick ovens with all tha 
aiilessness and filth, have produced the greatest scholars in 
Israel during the nineteenth century. 

The Roumanian Jews received their equalization at the 
famous Berlin treaty of 1878, when the Alliance Israelite Uni- 
veiselle and Lord Beaconsfield played such conspicuous parts, 
Init the government of that beastly kingdom refused to carry 
out the instructions of all the powers because the Russian bear 
had his clutches around her and she danced after his harmon- 
ical sounds. 



DAYS OF REGENERATION 



Indeed, the greatest period of activity in Israel's history, 
and all the good fruit which he will yet partake of in this 
world, might justly be attributed to the years between 1825-80. 

During the same period the Jews of the United States have 
achieved great wonders, and the groundwork for the future 
construction of the American Jewry was well cemented during 
that period, besides it appears that the future elements of 
aristocracy, nobility and scholarships of Israel grow upon 
* American soil. 

The year 1825, in the history of the Jews of the United 
States, marked two important steps which have played the 
most conspicuous part in the final development of American 
Jewries. Strange it might be, but it is nevertheless a fact that 
as soon as the Charleston, S. C, Jews, otherwise of most 
orthodox origin, had organized a ''Reformed Society of Is- 
raelites" (November 21, 1824), with a membership of tziielve, 
Mordecai Emanuel Noah began to negotiate the purchase of 
Long Island for the purpose of colonizing Russian Jews in the 
New World, and no sooner did the number of adherents to 
the New Judaism increase to fifty than the plan of Noah rested 
upon Arrarat by purchasing it for $75,000. Both projects 
proceeded slowly. Noah's plan running even behind, but the 
result is known to all Americans, aye to the whole world today. 

Queer as these two incidents might be to go together, there 
w-as, nevertheless, a good omen in the simultaneous work of 
Isaac Harby of Charleston and Mordecai Emanuel Noah of 
New York; even the names — Noah and Arrarat — indeed, are 



THE JEWS OF IOWA. 



of significance. No sooner did the tide of radicalism appear to 
drown Jewish conservatism than Arrarat was seen to herald 
the good tidings that the stormy waters will be abated. 

Truly, before the sun of S'phardic Orthodoxy was set, the 
news came that another Orthodoxy far more convincing and 
forceful will arise from among the Russian Jews and eclipse 
the shooting star of radicalism. 

Hitherto most American Jews were of Spanish descent, 
with the same lofty spirits as their brethren in Amsterdam and 
France, who refused to tolerate the society or intermarriage 
with the German or Polish Jews. But the world grew older, 
Germany was as much advanced in culture as the most enlight- 
ened country on the globe, and the Jews of that country had 
gained the benefit of having in their midst a Mendelssohn, a 
Heine, a Borne, a Hirsch Kalish, a Samson Raphael Hirsh, 
and scores of others, so it came to pass that when they beheld 
the proud countenances of their Sphardic co-religionists they 
returned the stern looks with scorn, and in but few years they 
recognized each other's mistakes and abilities and now most 
of the ancient Jewish families of America are inter- 
mixed with Spanish blood of Israel's nobility of yore. 

During the Mexican war, in 1845, ^^^ sturdy young Jewish 
men are met on the battlefields displaying heroism and patriot- 
ism second to none throughout that campaign, and because 
that war caused many to journey southward, many of the 
Jewish soldiers as w^ell as civilians settled in the south, and 
very soon communities sprang forth in the larger southern 



DAYS UF REGENERATION 123 

cities, while the co'untries were settled with straggling Jews, 
peasants, peddlers, merchants and some professional men from 
amongst them. 

Conditions, religio'Usly, were favorable to the projectors of 
the Reform movement, who based their arguments on the 
ground that religion cannot be forced upon the Jews whose 
habitations affords no communal organization, and in the comr 
munities it must be modified that its observance will not hinder 
the Jew in his pursuit of temporal happiness. And the masses 
who still remembered the faith of their fathers and were un- 
willing to yield that which their fathers died for, for a pack of 
notions or a shop in the slums oi the cities, or even for a bank- 
ing establishment, for, as the Reformers were pleased to call it, 
"a missionary Judaism; as interprted by the prophets of old." 

The tale O'f some of the southern Jewish pioneers is told 
by some well bred sons O'f the south, whose fathers or grand- 
fathers were Jews and who proudly admit the fact and crave 
for a look at a pie^e of matzah (unleavened bread) of which 
their ancestors smacked the lips relating about. 

Indeed, much was done for the southern Jevv by the Re- 
formers. Much also might be said in defense of Lesser, Wise, 
Lilenthal, Einhorn and the others of the radical wing, who 
were the compromising element in American Jewry between 
tO'tal assimilation and Judaism. They conld not come to the 
self-assimilated son of Israel and charge himi to adhere to all 
of the Talmudic laws or threaten him' with excommunication ; 
neither could they find an audience to listen to their 
pitiful pleadings, even though each one of the reformers 



124 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



could weep as much as Judah Chassia. They had to offer 
some hberalism, some consideration for the trend of the age. 
Yet who Hved and led and made no mistakes, whose liberal 
ideas are not misrepresented? 

From the conference at Cleveland, Ohio (1855) it plainly 
appears that neither Lilenthal nor Wise were ready to sur- 
render Talmudic Judaism. They have only suggested such 
changes as would be more in accordance with the trend of the 
age, but they have plotted no danger, laid no mines under the 
paths of Israel's tradition. Only Einhorn, together with the 
congregation Emanuel of New York deemed it advisable to 
drop the authority of the Talmud as a legal commentary upon 
the Bible, but as yet no one ever dreamed of seeing the present 
Judaism of the wealthier classes of American Jewry. The pro- ' 
gram of the short-lived "Zion College" at Cincinnati (1855) 
shows that they have only had in their minds certain improve- 
ments such as the Jewish history is rich in, but be it far from 
any historian to assert that the fathers of American Judaism 
intended to aMish the Sabbath, the dietary laws without dis- 
tinction, etc., which is the present platform of Reform Juda- 
ism. 

Conditions, naturally, changed continually for the better, 
and — what can be done to those who' have waxed fat and feel 
strong enough to approach the holy of holies and shatter and 
upset and demolish everything w hich was constructed by Moses 
upon the command of God? 

Meantime, large Jewish communities sprang forth east 
and west, north and south, and the flow of immigration stead- 



DAYS OF REGENERATION 125 

ily continued with renewed forces for both Orthodox and Re- 
form elements, and the Jews already had organizations, pub- 
lications and leaders of their own to cheer their every walk of 
life, and a demand for liberalism from one side and restriction 
from another was echoed throughout the land. 

The German Jews have long ceased to be a social menace 
to their S'phardaic brethren, for they have outnumbered the 
latter ten to one. The Polisli Jews, whose immigration 
in large numbers is traced back to the stirring days of reform 
agitation, became an object of dislike to^ them, because of 
their Yiddish language and strange mannerism. Their ortho- 
doxy, however, w^as much more disliked by their German 
brethren than their dress jr speech. 

In charity all classes were united, in distress they were 
one; the pain of the Polish Jew was deeply felt by his German 
brother, and the misfortunes of the latter was the occasion of 
mourning for the former. 

When the American nation was confronted by the Civil 
War the Jews were first in the Union and second tO' none in the 
Confederacy. Over three thousand Jewish soldiers, from every 
denomination, were among the boys in blue, and who does not 
know what Jadah P. Benjamin did for the Comfederacy ? The 
Jews of the Civil War have primarily observed Jeremiah's 
instructions to the exiles of Nebuchadnezzar: "And seek the 
peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away 
captive and pray unto the Lord for it." Those of the south 
prayed for the gray and those of the north entreated for the 
blue. But this was the first time in the history of Israel in 



126 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



exile that his sons fought against one another for a country 
worthy of sacrificing their hves and shedding their blood. 
Many Jewish generals on both sides have distinguished them- 
selves in numerous engagements and the bra\'ery of the Jew- 
ish soldiers was most creditable. 

The heated blood of a conquering people might also De ap- 
plied to the leaders of Reform Judaism. Einhorn called to- 
gether a conference at Philadelphia (1869), and in that city 
the rabl)is of Israel in America have l:KDldly voiced the first 
platform, which was indeed after the manner of American de- 
mocracy, of men, by men and for men, which is as much as 
saying that God cannot be accused of ever having sanctioned 
their measures. Can those men be censured for their boldness 
in overthrowing long established principles for which millions 
of their ancestors suffered indescribable tortures and willingly 
cast their lives before the feet of their oppressors? No, they 
cannot be censured by man; the responsibility was thrown up^on 
them by their constituents, who numbered in the thousands; 
they expected a proclamation of Mufhor Loch (thou mayest.) 
Had it been delayed Israel would have been filled with wilful 
transgressors ; it was therefore high time for the leaders to be 
outspoken. 

The following is the Philadelphia declaration of principles, 
alleged to be of real Jewish origin : 



I. Israel's Messianic goal is not the restoration of a Jew- 
ish state and its seclusion from other nations, but the reunion 



DAYS OF REGENERATION 127 

of all peoples in the knowledge of the One Supreme God, tl.e 
unification ^^^f all ma/ikind and their elevation to purity and 
holiness. 

II. The destruction O'f Israel's independence is not tO' be 
considered as the punishment for Israel's sinfulnes's, but as 
the fulfillment of the divine purpose in sendij^g* Israel foith 
into the world upon the priestly mission to lead men to a cor- 
rect knowledge of God and to the performance of His w^ill. 

III. The Aaronic priesthood and the sacrificial service in 
the Temple were but preparatory and temporary steps \o the 
better fitting of Israel for this worldwide task. They have, 
therefore, disappeared now forever, and all references to them 
in oiur prayers should be in the way of historical mention only. 

IV. The belief in a resurrection of the body has no re- 
ligious foundation in Judaism ; the belief in the immortality of 
the soul is the proper formulation for our belief in this con- 
nection. 

•V. The employment in worship of the Hebrew language, 
in which the priceless treasure of divine revelation have been 
preserved and the immortal monuments of a literature dom- 
inating all cvilizatio'n have been handed down, must be regu- 
lated by the knowledge or ignorance of that language by ^he 
people for whom the ritual is arranged. 

B. 

The male child of a Jewish mother is, by the fact of l.is 
birth, just as much as the female child, a member of the Jew- 
ish community, even without circumcision. 



128 THE JEWS OF IOWA 

^^'hat on earth has Refcjrm Judaism clone in the way of 
sending out missionaries to the world's inhabitants? Why not 
send the fresli and energetic newly graduated rabbis to France, 
to England, to Germany, to America, and to less enlightened 
peoples and tell them that Jehovah is God, that the sun brings 
light, the the Jew continues without a land only for the sake of 
providing coutries in heaven for all nations of the earth? 

What shall be done to all the prophets of yore, who,' le- 
spite the Philadelphia platform, have said, and their words 
live upon the lips of every student, that Israel did sin, that he 
did lose his glory because of iniquity, and that he ztill rciiirn 
tO" this land once more from all the four corners of the earth? 
What shall be done with the 5,000,000 God's missionaries of 
Russia, where even their tearful pleadings for their li\es is 
not listened to? Woiild the eminent rabbis of the Reform 
wing consent to venture a life of wandering among savnges 
for the sake of teaching them the mission of Israel^ Can any 
such commandment be found among the six hundred and 
thirteen ? 

What good did the practice of almost fourteen ccnlurics 
in the Aaronic priesthood do in the way of preparing Israel 
for his mission upon this sinful planet of ours? How can we 
alter the daily prayers of ours and make them sound as chap- 
ters of pages of bygone events, \\hen they are so grammat/cal- 
ly arranged that any such change would mean their total abo- 
Htion? 

What proof in Judaism can there be found to sustain the 
belief of immortality more than that of resurrection? The 
Talnnid came to no conclusion. ]\Iaimonides could only give 



DAYS OF REGENERATION 129 

ideas, but the Philadelphia franiers oi that platform came to a 
definite conclusion, eh? Is Judaismi a religion of life for the 
living- or of misfortune for the dead, ye sages? 

A president in an orthodox synagogue of St. Louis gave 
instructions to the secretary to have a notice nailed to the v^est- 
ern wall that no adult shall carry packages or umbrellas on 
Sabbath into the synagogue, and to affix his, the president's, 
name to the decree. On the following Sabbath an old man, 
seeing the sign, read it and scornfully remarked : "No wonder, 
he owns 100 tons of rags, so' he might take the responsibility of 
plagarizing the Sulchcm Aruc^/' This much can be said for 
the fifth clause of Article A of their platform. There is no 
law in Judaism prohibiting any community or individual from 
praying in a secular language. S'hma, B'chol Loshon sh — 
At ho Shomeah. 

What a pitiful invitation for the assimilation of our daugh- 
ters Article B is ! Ezra's doctrine in enacting laws regarding 
children born of Jewish mothers was a strain upon assimila- 
tion, and he, therefore, is lauded by all as a hero and a saint, 
but what need there was for the rabbis in the city of Brotherly 
Love to open the love of their sisters for reproach is known 
only to their silent graves. 

Four years later all Reform! congregations formed them- 
selves into one strong organization under the name "Union 
of American-Hebrew Congregations," and their initial step 
was to establish a seat of Jewish learning. In October, 7875, 
their dream was realized. The Hebrew Union College of 
Cincinnati was formally opened, with Isaac M. Wise at its 
head. 



130 THE JEWS OF IOWA 

To the conservative class, besides the Polish and Russian 
organized and unorganized communities, belong Samuel M. 
Isaacs, Abraham de Sola, Morris J. Raphael and Sabbatai 
Moriar. 

Be it, however, prescribed to the credit of the fathers *yi 
Reform Judaism in America, that through their untiring ef- 
forts, the sincerity of which no one can doubt, Israel has at- 
tained in this country an unshaken po^sition among the best cit- 
izens, his religion is better understood now than ever before in 
his history, his friends cannot be counted, he is respected, ad- 
mired, recognized in every walk of life as capable of occupying 
the foremost position among men. They have created profound 
respect for and endless faith in the Jew, and through their 
charity, conduct and culture their less fortunate brethren, the 
Russian, Polish, Galician and Roumanian Jews, when com- 
pelled to come by the thousands to these shores in search of 
a home and bread, have found a country where the name 
Jew is as chaste as his Torah and a people ready to offer them 
all the advantages of life. 



IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA 131 



CHAPTER XI. 

I 
EXODUS OF RUSSIA AND IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA, 1880-I9OO. 

Pogroms in Russia — May Laws — Anti-Semitism^ — Progress 
of Russian Jews in America — Yiddish Journalism, Poetry, 
Drama and Preaching — Judaism in America — Orthodoxy 
and Reform. 

The last quarter of the nineteenth century remains match- 
less in modern history of persecutions, expulsions, intolerance 
and ruthlessness perpetrated against the defenseless people of 
Israel, unless it be compared to the days when the scepter of 
the king, statute of the land, sword of the soldier, hoe ol tiic 
peasant and flame of the furnace were tools in the hands of 
inquisitionary fanatics. As soon as the bloody tyrant, Alex- 
ander III, ascended the throne of the Romanoffs, the fists of 
the ''bossiak," the extortionate hand of the corrupted official, 
the remorseless clutches of the arbitrary laws and the fury of 
a violent mob overtook the world's scapegoat, the Jew. Si- 
multaneously the sharp-edged tongue of the polished German 
Jew-baiters, their fictitious charges, blood accusations and 
venomous agitations against the Jew, were incorporated into 
one great monster, which stretched forth its death-darting 



132 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



weapons across Europe and brought to light a serpent-like off- 
spring called anti-Semitism, which was embraced as a pet near 

the unfeeling heart of Adolf Stoeker. 

The accession of Alexander III to the Russian throne 
(March 14, 1882) was succeeded by the most ferocious mas- 
sacres (Pogromy) yet inflicted upon the downtrodden Jew, 
and the initial appearance of anti-Semitism in Germany (July 
30, 1878) was followed by the most heinous propogation yet 
ventured against the most misunderstood people, the people 
of Israel. Indeed, the moral pang of the German Jews was 
great, but it cannot be compared to the sufferings of their 
Russian brethren. True, to endure the cries of "hep, hep, 
hep," open denunciations, the public ostracisn., vvas nard in- 
deed for the former, but the pollution, loss of property, home 
and all suffered by the latter, endangered two-thirds of the 
House of Jacob. 

Hardly a month had elapsed since the author of all bloody 
decrees, Alexander, w^as proclaimed king over the Slavs before 
the Jews of the czar's empire commenced to realize the imme- 
diate danger which was threatening them, before their ene- 
mies gave them to understand that the land of Ruric is the 
inheritance of "bossiak, moozik, cossack and chachole" only. 

The first scene of Jewish ruin in Darkest Russia was Eliza- 
bethgrad (April 28, 1882,) which served as a signal for what 
was to follov^ among the helpless southern Jews of that des- 
potic land. Kiev, Ananiev, Vasilkov, Shypola and Konotop 
were the next heart-rending scenes of dilapidated synagogues, 
murdered infants, demolished houses, stores and magazines. 



IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA 133 

weeping mothers, frenzied children and homeless families, and, 
in less than six months of that bloody year one hundred and 
sixty more cities and towns, inhabited by terror-stricken Jew- 
ish families, were turned into scenes of desolation. For miles 
around the heaps of desolated communities the wind played 
with the feathers which were supplying comfort for innocent 
babes and chaste brides, and it seemed as if the clouds had 
sent congealed flakes to overshadow the sunbeams so that 
there be no light in those spots of Russia. Peradventure, the 
feathers flew intentionally to reach Heaven and ask Almighty, 
"Why shall the guiltless heads of sucklings which were wont 
to dream oi Thee, of Thy angels and of Thy kingdom, be 
smitten to the ground? Why shall the brains of the fathers, 
who were thinking only of how to worship Thee, be dashed 
out in broad daylight without even a single voice of protest f" 

Thus were hundreds of thousands oi Jewish families left 
exposed to the danger of being slaughtered by an uncontroll- 
able and murderous mob, which knows no mercy, listens to 
no entreaty, is deaf toi prayer and bloodthirsty in its fury, and 
the Russian government deemed it unnecessary to offer some 
sort of protection, not to speak of distributing aid among the 
needy victims of the late pogroms, of sheltering somewhere 
those who fell prostrate before the human beasts whom the 
czar calls subjects. Instead, a new set of the most heinous 
laws ever planned by a tyrant was framed and handed down 
to the helpless, homeless and friendless Jews. Those laws 
are famous under the cope of the May Laws, because they were 
enacted on May 15, 1882. The well calculated laws created 
a Pale, or a certain district where the Jews might crowd them- 



134 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



selves together, and thither they must remain, and thencefrom, 
under the penalty of banishment, they must not depart. An 
iron bar was set at the the door of every higher institution 0/ 
learning, making it impossible for all but three per cent of the 
Jewish students to enter and derive at least the benefit of a lib- 
eral education, and numerous fences were laid aronnd every 
trade or profession known to be followed by the Jews, which 
practically rendered the latter helpless against the extortion'ate 
officials, who might at any time bring charges against them 
and cause their ruin in a fortnight. 

Suddenly, even without warning, was the Jew left to the 
mercy of the elements and confronted with a serious problem, 
involving his entire existence, with practically nO' time or 
means to solve it, unless it be a hurried immigration tO' some 
spot where the formidable paws of the Russian bear will 
not overtake them. But the prevalent poverty among them 
added distress upon horror and caused an unparalleled panic 
in the despairing camp of Israel. Migration was, indeed, em- 
braced as the only means O'f safety, but there was no home 
for them in Germany or France which would lodge them 
longer than the necessary time for an immigrant to pass 
through a hostile country, England was already overcrowded 
with poor Jews and offered very little work, and to jour- 
ney farther than these lands, where shall the expense 
of conveying father, mother, twoi or three sisters and 
one or twoi brothers come from, even though the last 
of the family's relics will be sold? True, the Rus- 
sian Jews were more fortunate than their unfortunate 
ancestors of Spain, the world had made progress since. 



IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA 135 

the means of modern transpcitation could not have been 
dreamt of by those refugees, but the raih-oads, steam- 
ships, telegraphs and all other useful equipments of the 
modern world could be advantageous only after the owners 
thereof were fully compensated, and, even the price of all these 
was the moist puzzling question oif the hour. 

And besides the material end of the serious problem, there 
arose another question which added mystery 10 the common 
enigma, i. e. What will become of all the sacred principles 
Israel has acquired during the countless ages of his existence 
after he will be cast upon a strange shore where the absence 
of everything Jewish is most conspicuous? Will the distant 
land prove to be fertile enough for the transplantation of a 
religion which urges its observance upon the individual as 
well as upon the community, particularly the Mosaic dietary 
laws, etc., which the Jew has been addicted to for numberless 
generations? Will the distinct Jewish culture, so lately in- 
augurated by Baalshem., Elijah of Vilna and other numeroius 
Goanim, and lastly, the strictly Jewish progressive ideas called 
forth by the self-sacrificing Mishkilim, headed by Issac Bear 
Levinson, stand the test of combating with the cultures of 
the w^estern nations and remain wholesome? 

But the masses could not entertain these questions in a 
serious nature because of the distressful scenes before their 
eyes, and who co^uld censure them for casting everything senti- 
mental aside at the time their wives and children were in 
need of bread and lodging ? 

From the small number of their brethren who had mi- 
grated to America the unfortunate Russian Jews learned that 
far beyond the oceans there is a ''golden land," said to be the 



136 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



kingdom of OpJier of the days oi Solomon, and more than that 
a land which knows no distinction of race or creed, which sees 
no difference between Jew and Gentile, a land which has onlv 
one set of laws for all classes, a land which has no princesses 
nor princes, but all are said to be sovereigns if they only work 
eight hours per day six days out of every week — indeed, a 
fairy land — by the name of America. Toward that land did 
Israel lift his tearful eyes in search of a spot where his chil- 
dren, his wife, his sister, his aged mother and his grizzled 
father will find a secured home. 

Some who were more fortuntae, in that they had sufficient 
funds, left the accursed land where are buried the charms of 
their childhood, their sighs of love to their sweethearts, and 
lastly their groans of Russian bondage, and came to this coun- 
try; some, even though they had but scanty means, depended 
largely upon the help of their German brethren, their hopes 
were indeed not in vain, and they suffered indescribable hard- 
ships before they finally succeeded in beholding the statute of 
liberty on this side of the Atlantic ; others, however, either be- 
cause of lack of funds or on account of the great affection they 
had for their religion, which they thought would go to decay if 
they take out their children from the center of Judaism, left 
their families in Russia, pledging themselves to come back 
wealthy and defy the fury of the government with American 
cash, or as soon as the czar will have mercy upon the children 
of Israel and repeal the dangerous laws. But the latter knew 
better after they had partaken of American sort of life, and as 
soon as they could accumulate enough money to send for their 
families thev were onlv too o:lad to have them come here. 



IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA 137 

In but ten years after the exodus of Russia, it appears from 
various statistics, that the number of Russian Jews who set- 
tled in New York City alone exceeded by far the entire num- 
ber of the population which inhabited that city in the days 
of Mordecai Emanuel Noah, when the first plan ot colonizmg 
Russian Jews on this side of the Atlantic was inaugurated. 

The progress of the Russian Jews during the comparatively 
short time of their career in this country is certainly astound- 
ing. Who could have foretold that in less than one genera- 
tion the United States would shelter over a million of Russian 
Jews, that they will all be guided by the wings of prosperity, 
that the city of New York will become the greatest Jewish 
center in the history of the people of Israel, and that a new 
era will dawn for Judaism upon American soil? Who could 
have dreamt that the selfsame people, whose ambition at the 
outstart of their career in this country fifteen or twenty years 
ago, did not gO' beyond the limit of a safe existence, would 
become potent factors in the commerce and industry of this, 
the greatest republic ever owned by mortals ? Today the very 
Russian Jew of hardly two decades ago, with the heavy pack 
on his shoulder, the very man who came to this country under 
the most disadvantageous conditions, who became an object 
of pity the minute he landed on this shore, who did not O'wn 
money enough for a single meal, not tO' speak of a suit of 
clothes, will, in such brief period, become an aggressive power 
upon the American markets, where he remains firm, second 
to none of the other great classes of the Republic in ability, 
credit and esteem. 



i3» THE JEWS OF IOWA 



But the progress of the Russian Jew in America is not 
wholly confined to labor, commerce and industry, for even in 
all other branches of civilization which build the great tree 
of modern life is he distinguished, and a goodly bulk of data 
to fill a very interesting volume of history can be co'llected, 
tracing his adventures in the United States. 

The number of Russian Jews in New York City equals the 
entire number of Jewish population scattered throughout the 
land. It is, therefore, noteworthy to summarize briefly their 
progress in intellect and communal organization. 

To acquire the English language is the ambition of every 
Jewish immigrant, and the vernacular is making rapid head- 
way among the young and old or all of their classes. To un- 
derstand the form of American government, as well as its sa- 
cred principles, is hoped for even by the very grizzled man 
who comes hither to behold before he dies, the faces of his 
grandchildren, and to become Americanized, in every way and 
manner, is the sole aim of the individual as well as of the or- 
ganized community. But the transition of assimilating one's 
self to an entirely new life, entirely new conditions, strange 
language and absolutely foreign mannerism, cannot advance 
too rapidly, lest it be overthrown in a foTtnight. It has, there- 
fore, become a necessity to countrify all those who come to this 
country at a matured age by giving them all the necessary in- 
formation in their own language, preserving at the same time 
everything sacred to them for ages. But Yiddish, the lan- 
guage spoken by all Russian Jews, was very poor and despised 
even by many Jews themselves, and Hel)rew could only be 
of any service to the more scholarly element. The question, 



IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA 139 

therefore, was centered upon the Jewish masses who needed 
help of that nature in order to enable them to make a living, 
to become good citizens of the only land which oiffered them 
protection, and to appreciate the value of having their children 
brought up on an entirely different system so as to make them 
faithful followers of the creed of Abraham and good Ameri- 
cans at the same time. 

In Russia, Yiddish was resorted tO' for literary purposes by 
Abraham Goldfaden, the veteran Yiddish poet and founder oi: 
Yiddish drama among the Jews, and by N. M. Scheikewich, 
the great Yiddish noivelist, and a few others of much 
less merit, but even the aforesaid distinguished Yiddish au- 
thors were only appreciated by a small and insignificant class, 
among whom were servant girls, fantastic youths in love with 
someone beyond their reach and unable to give themselves 
away, or a small percentage of Yeshibah ( seat of learning) boys 
who had a desire for secular knowledge and were unable to 
obtain it, but no Mashkil would ever have entertained the no- 
tion of reading a Yiddish book, even though it be written by 
a great scholar. Hebrew was called the uiisfress, while 
Yiddish was mockingly styled as the servant. But in this 
country, where the press is second to bread only, the Yiddish 
problem took a different aspect soon after a sufficient number 
of readers could be found. 

A man named K. H. Sharason, (born in Poland, 
1834,) of no literary ability, but with a distinguished 
ambition and enthusiasm, and good business abilities, 
started a four-page Yiddish weekly (1874) in the city 
of New York, and he and his wife and children began 



140 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



to roll the millstone of a career of hard work, struggles and 
final triumph. When, in 1882, the stream of immigration 
brought thousands of Jews weekly to this country, the little 
and insignificant "Jewish Gazette" commenced to grow, and 
very soon the Jewish population of this country demanded not 
only good weeklies, but even a first class daily was expected 
oi the ''news man." Today there are seven Yiddish 
dailies in New York City, two dailies in Chicago, and numer- 
ous weeklies and periodicals, doubling the entire number of 
Yiddish and Hebrew publications the world over, and not 
only has Yiddish become a living language for the so-called 
ghetto- Jew, but even a good many Mashkilim have resorted 
toi the Yiddish to reach the class they aim to speak to. 

One child of the ghetto, however, has picked up the much 
abused servant, the dialect which was called among its best 
friends jargon, and turned it, with his masterful muse, into' a 
language fit for the angels to- sing hymns before Jehovah. His 
name is, and will be as long as mankind will have love for the 
heavenly muse, Morris Rosenfield. He has entered into the 
depths of the souls of the oppressed and brought forth verses 
which tell the tales of woe and describe the dreams of the far 
off future, which draw forth tears even from the heartless upon 
whom his curse rests, which speak volumes for the dumb who 
are led by their masters even as the lamb is led by its owner 
to deprive her of her only riches, of her wool. 

A. Zunser is another singer of merit, belonging to the vet- 
eran school of Russian Yiddish, and he might well be consid- 
ered the only second of Goldfaden in folklore. Among the 
prose writers oi Yiddish, S. I. Abromovich, also^ of Russia. 



IMiMIGRATION TO AMERICA 141 



holds the foremost position. The best Yiddish writers in 
America are : Leon Zolotkoff, Jonas Paley, Max Bukanski, D. 
M. Hermahn, P. Krantz, M. Zeifert (who is also a novel-rst cl^ 
some merit), A. Tannenbaum, G. ZeHkovitz, Dr. M. Mintz, 
and numerous others who' might be classified with the regen- 
erators of the Yiddish language in this country. 

The Yiddish stage, fathered by Abraham Goldfaden, is 
another new phase in American-Jewish life, and it is safe to 
say that despite its many evil-breeding ideas it has brought 
in the midst of the world's greatest Jewry, it is a great insti- 
tution, but yet in its infancy. The playwrights of the Yiddish 
theaters are certainly keeping pace with the trend of the age 
in creating "realism" ^at whatever cost, and the Yiddish man- 
agers are indeed not lacking in taste toi even go few steps 
further than the authors themselves in staging the realistic 
plays. Besides Goldfaden, Jacob Gordon is the recognized 
dean of the American-Yiddish playwrights. However, Scheik- 
ewich, L. Korbin, A. M. Sharkanski, Prof. Horowitz, J. Late- 
iner and a few others are among the good seconds oi Gordon. 
Of the stars among actors, Adler, Mogulevski, Thomasevski, 
Mme. Kalish and Mme. Lipzin are conceded to be the greatest, 
although there are others who place themselves ahead of this 
list, and among them are really some good lights of the Yid- 
dish stage. 

Occasionally traveling companies of the lesser stars are 
organized for the purpose of visiting the "country Jews" and 
give them a "show" to witness a Yiddish performance, which 
proves indeed of great delight to the Jewish youngsters of 
the country, who never beheld a Jew in his misery, and, at the 
same time oif great benefit to the minor stars. 



142 THF JEWS OF IOWA 

But the entire institution, up till the present day, is largery 
confined to the great Jewish centers where the majority can- 
not understand an American play and would not pay for it as 
their American brothers and sisters do when a "French play 
comes to town." 

Social life among the Russian Jews was never beipre as 
interesting and as full of incidents as it is in this country. 
Little dramas and some very conspicuous tragedies, too, are 
features among the otherwise tranquil people, but such is the 
case only among the younger generation, who have as yet not 
learned to understand the sacred principles of the old code oi 
morals owned by their fathers and mothers. Societies of 
every kind and nature are rapidly increasing wdierever there 
are Russian-Jewish colonies in this country, and there is no 
other class in America to take more advantage of the many 
systems of free education offered in this country. Charitable, 
educational, civic and purely social clubs are to l>e found in 
great numbers among them, and their progressive strides in 
keeping pace with the forward march O'f Americanism is 
remarkable, indeed. However, many strifes, chiefly in 
large cities, ensue between different parties among them, 
particularly so where there happens to l>e a socialistic 
organization or two, but the latter are only regarded 
with scorn among the Orthodox adherents of Judaism 
and exert ])ut little influence among their kindred. Other 
discreditable differences rise up occasionally among the 
various organizations, which at times seem to hinder the pro- 
gressiveness of the Jewish people in this country, but they are 
in most cases of short duration and are always settled amic- 
ably. 



IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA 143 

The 3^oaing' generation born in this countr}^ oi Russian- 
Jewish parents exceeds the utmost expectation. They not only 
become equal to their thrifty fathers in every respect, but even 
excel them in every walk of modern life. In the public schools 
they are a pleasure to the teachers, in the different professions 
they accjuire they are second tO' none of their coiitemporaries, 
and in commerce and industry they stand foremost. 

Hence, in every avenue of temporal existence did the Rus- 
sian Jew succeed most wonderfully in the past twenty years 
of his career in this country, and his prospects for the future, 
when the great ghetto in the city of New York will be les- 
sened by a gradual removal into the rural districts of the land, 
when there will be a great percentage of Jewish farmers, and 
the hoe and the plowshare and the pruning hook will take the 
places of the second hand shop, the push cart and the sweat 
shop — and that day is not far hence — are indeed leading him 
to a golden period such as has not iDeen experienced by the 
peoiple of Israel since the Romans led them in exile. 

But there is still one problem of the utmost importance to 
Israel which remains unsolved, and which is not very likely 
to be solved in this generation nor in the next one to come, 
i. e. The problem^ of Judaism. The Jews in this country are 
commonly divided intoi two^ classes, Orthodox and Reform. 
The Orthodox, as is generally understood, consist of the Rus- 
sian, Polish, Galician, Roumanian and Sphardic Jews, while 
the Reform are understood tO' aggregate the entire number oif 
German, French and English and all other Jews of western 
Europe who have long ago settled themselves in this country. 
But this prosaic theory is not sustained by the commoin fact. 



144 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Orthodoxy is not confined to the former neither can Reform 
wholly be accredited to the latter . One who seeks most of 
his temporal life in the way of comfort and pleasure must m 




Typical Second Hand Shop Which is Gradually Disappearing 

a Reform Jew. The one whose love for his sacred traditions 
and ties to his past is greater than his selfishness of temporal 
lavishness must be an Orthodox. The Russian Jew, who is 
tired of carrying the load of abstinence from all the forbidden 



IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA 



145 



things of the Bible, whoi can no longer continue tO' pray, or 
go to the synagogue three times daily, who can no longer be 
chained to the dead past and continue among the progressive 
class oi the day, and whoi is unwilling to offer years of the 
lives of his children in teaching them; the Hebrew language, 
customs, rites and ceremonies, and, if in addition to his the- 
ory possesses a handsome bank account, is as apt to join a 
Reform congregation as his German brother, and he very 
frequently does it, tooi. Likewise is the very wealthy German 
Jew, who still remembers the martyrdomi his father, or he 
himself, had suffered on account of observing the laws which 
are as old as Creation, on account of daring tO' claim^ Jehovah, 
— the same God whoi yet lives in the selfsame heavens which 
have witnessed the Revelation upon Mount Sinai — as the God 
of his fathers, who' was compelled toi leave the land oif his child- 
hood because of daring to remain what he was born, because 
of refusing to sell the sentiments of his soul, — that immortal 
part which belongs to the Kingdom of heaven: — for his daily 
bread, as proud toi remain an Orthodoix as his poor brother of 
Russia and Roumania. 

In theory, the difference between the Orthodox and Re- 
formi is apparent throughout the land, but in practice not 
much difference prevails in the smaller communities of tne 
south, of the extreme west and of the northwest. There the 
difference is only confined to the observance of the dietary 
laws and the prayer book, with possibly one or two more prin- 
ciples, but in the observance of the Sabbath and many othec 
things wherein economical questions are involved both parties 
do the same thing; that is, both do not do as their fathers did/ 



[46 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



However, since the foundation of the Zionist movement 
Orthodoxy seems to gain ground continually, in that the or- 
ganization of modern Hebrew schools have been increasing 
daily, and the prevalent sentiment to drop out the Yiddish 
and instead take up the vernacular to be a medium of trans- 
lating the Hebrew to the American born child, has helped con- 
siderably to check the great tide of radicalism among the Jews 
in America. 

Rabbi Jacob Joseph, one of the greatest rabbis Russia af- 
forded, was brought to this country, and it was the hope of 
the eastern Jews to establish Orthodo'xy in this country on an 
even footing with the Orthodoxy of Europe. Rabbi Joseph 
was a great man in his place, in Russia, but his undertakings 
in this country, where there existed no established authority 
and no respect or dread for such authority even if it was es- 
tablished, failed entirely. His doctrines were toO' ancient to 
carry along weight in a material land like this, and his kind of 
Orthodoxy was of the severest type and, therefore, could not 
find any sympathy either among the working classes of New 
York or among the peddlers or small merchants in the d/stant 
American towns, whos despite their difficult labors, would have 
gladly embraced more liberal teachings. Besides, he was mis- 
led by the so-called ghetto leaders of New York. They only 
urged upon him the necessity of establishing a firm base for 
the kosher meat markets and wholly neglected many other prin- 
ciples and great institutions in Judiasm which are not wholly 
connected with the stomach. The result was a very discourag- 
ing one for the sentimentalists among the Orthodox Jews, 
who saw in the chief rabbi's failure the rise of radicalism in 



IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA 147 

American Judaism. The great sage suffered indescrilDable 
martyrdom before his temporal existence ended, for not only 
were the means of his livelihood cut off, but he even w^as sub- 
jected to personal denunciation by the socialistic element of 
the great ghetto, until, after a miserable career of over a de- 
cade, he yielded peacefully his soul and was thus relieved from 
all his earthly burdens. But his death had a remarkable ettect 
upon the Orthodox Jews of this country. They then recog- 
nized his sincerity, his self-sacrificing spirit, and it is safe to 
assert that all the good which was created in the world's 
greatest Jewry through the chief rabbi came after he was no 
longer with them. 

Another great force in Orthodoxy was Sabato Morals, 
founder of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York 
City, but up till the time of his death (1897) the graduates of 
that institution would not be called to fill any pulpit among 
the strictly orthodox congregations, and his school also was 
regarded as a menace to Orthodoxy by most of the Russian 
rabbis, who still were sincerely prosecuting their mission to 
transplant the Russian kind of Orthodoxy in this country. But 
even the late Morais failed, while he was alive, in his fight 
against the odds of the radicals for nearly half a century ; yet, 
remarkable, indeed, no sooner were his remains put to rest 
than the Jewish Theological Seminary became the sole instru- 
ment which furthei'S the cause of Orthodoxy in this coun- 
try, and not only were the plans of the late Morais wholly rea- 
lized, but his lifelong fight against the school of Einhorn and 
Wise was resumed by a great successor. Professor S. Schech- 
ter, who is backed by such men as Jacob H. Sichif, P. Adler 
and numerous others. 



148 JEWS OF IOWA 



Orthodox Judaism seems now more than ever before to 
be divided in many different branches. "Progressive Ortho- 
doxy," ''Conservative Judaism," ''Historic Judaism" and Or- 
thodox Judaism without adjectives to it, are only a- few of the 
different elements in American Judaism. The main difference, 
however, between the conflicting parties is, whether the Eng- 
lish speaking rabbis, most of whom are not as well advanced 
in the ancient laws of the Talmud, nor in certain parts of par- 
ticular kinds of laws which the European rabbis must know, 
shall be recognized- as authorities to preach Judaism because 
there is no need for those laws; now or, because they cannot 
consistently be called rabbis in Israel on account of their 
lack of knowledge of those laws, they shall not be ad- 
mitted to the Jewish synagogues as heads of communities. The 
language, i. e. either to use the vernacular in delivering the 
sermons, because the young generation would listen to noth- 
ing else, or not to- move even one iota from the established 
customs and continue the preaching in Yiddish, which is par- 
ticularly well liked by the elders, is another great problem. 

These problems are purely conditional, because there are 
numerous European rabbis, because there is a majority of 
Yiddish speaking people, these difficulties spring forth, but as 
soon as the rising generation will take the lead, Orthodox Jud- 
aism will become the standard for the Jews the world over, 
and as the tide of radicalism in this country is gradually being 
abated, the Judaism now in its infancy in this country will be- 
come a Judaism of compromise and all differences of sectarian- 
ism in Israel will eventually disappear. 



IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA 149 

As it is today, the Orthodox Jews are disagreeing among 
them.selves. Each congregation has two parties. The income of 
all those rabbis, who^ know all the laws and who speak only 
Yiddish, and are, indeed, as religious as were the rabbis in the 
days of the Goan of Vilna, is hardly sufficient to provide for 
their families bread and water, and the same miserable wages 
is being collected weekly or monthly from everyone who is 
willing to give a nickel or a dime, while all the graduates from 
Cincinnati who are free from; the burden of feeding their brains 
with ancient Judaism, need but preach a very little and prac- 
tice still less, and for all that they do not do and for the little 
they do' say, they receive annual salaries of from $1,800 tO' 
$15,000. 

There is, however, one reason which speaks volumes for 
the great difference between the Orthodox and Reform rabbis, 
and that is, because most of the Reform Jews are rich, while 
most O'f the poor Jews are Orthodox. 

The present principles of Reform Judaism are the most 
rational productions of modern theologians, and, if the whole 
world, whose missionaries they are purporting tO' be, would 
agree with them they would certainly deserve credit even from 
the most addicted Chassid whose father was burned to death 
because he refused to eat pork or pay respect to a Russian 
image. But as it appears, even they themselves do not fully 
agree upon everything that was said in the Pittsburg, Pa., 
platform (1885); neither are they contented to keep out of 
it all that was not said therein. Upon that memorable confer- 
ence the rabbis took the responsibility upon themselves and 
approached the very holiness of the Bible and boldly said : 'Tn 



150 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



composition and literary arrangement the Scriptures are only 
the work of men, with the unavoidable limitations of their 
age." This is certainly the most anarchical theology ever pro- 
duced by clergymen of any creed. And, since the foundation 
of every religion was thus undermined, it was not more than 
consistency for them to destroy all the laws of Moses regarding 
divorce and marriage, to aliolish all dietary laws, to deny au- 
thority of the past over the present and future in matters of 
religion, to overthrow the ever cherished hope of the people 
of Israel to return to national life again, and even to assail the 
Jewish Sabbath, that great institution which is as O'ld as Crea- 
tion, under the pretext that economical conditions of modem 
life demand an immediate change in the day of rest, and that 
Sunday shall be instituted instead. 

An unskillful antique dealer, in treating an ancient paint- 
ing in such a disgraceful manner as those rabbis have handled 
the most sacred document of mankind would be guilty of an 
unpardonable offense. 

But the Reform Jezifs of this country are paying but little 
attention to the ringing phraseology of their spiritual guides, 
unless it be in the case of family distress ;otherwise they are 
as good and faithful believers in God and His command- 
ments as their fathers were, with the exception that the con- 
ditions of this great commercial country urge a certain amount 
of progressiveness and liberalism, which they take without 
consulting either the Bible or the rabbi. To their credit, they 
have erected orphans' homes, hospitals, charitable institutions 
and homes for the aged and infirm, they. have organized socie- 
ties which elevate their own kindred and mankind in general ; 



IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA 151 

they maintain institutions at a cost of millions of dollars an- 
nually, and are displaying every characteristic of the children 
of Abraham on every occasion. 

Today there is but little difference, socially, between the 
Orthodo'x and Reform, or Russian and German Jews. The 
institutions and societies founded and organized by the Ger- 
mans, because they were here first, are now contributed to and 
joined by the Russians, and every indication points to one 
brotherhood, at least among the American Jews. 

Thus, having briefly narrated and summarized the chief 
events in the history of the people of Israel since the discovery 
of America, and also recounted in the shortest way possible 
the progress of the pioneers in this country, this work will be 
confined to the Jews of Iowa exclusively, out of which the 
reader and student might draw a comparison between the 
Jews of this state and those of others states, for almost 
throughout the United States have the Jews experienced a sim- 
ilar process of transition and organized themselves under the 
same kind of conditions which will be found extensi\ely in lliis 
volume. 



152 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER XII. 

JEWS IN THE DAYS OF TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION, 1833-1846. 

A Jew Among the Founders of First White Settlement in Iowa 
-^— First Jewish Farmer — Pioneers on Jewish Women — Ap- 
pearance of Peddlers — First Jewish Office-holder in this 
State — Pioneers Admire the People of Israel — First Na- 
turalized Citizen in Iowa is a Jew — Intermarriage in Early 
Days. 

The history of the entire human race is based upon the 
groundwork laid out by the patriarchs, saints, . heroes and 
rulers of yore, and dates back tO' the very outstart of man's 
career upon this planet, to the very days when the sons of man 
commenced to realize the need of progress, work, travel and 
communal organization in order to make their temporal exist- 
ence happier, easier, brighter and manlier. And, ever since, it 
likewise became a necessity for the children of Adam tO' per- 
petuate the achievements of such individuals who have excelled 
others in their efforts to better mankind and uplift civilization, 
and to chronicle the deeds of a collective body of the human 
family who have distinguished themselves in elevating the 
standard of organized society. But not all the different groups 
of mankind have proved to be makers of history; for some 



TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION 153 

have continued without any program which might have been 
developed into progressiveness, while others deemed it un- 
necessary to take any action whatever to further the cause 
begun by their ancestors. They were the elements of man- 
kind which were moulded of passiveness, loved tranquility of 
the most strange type and, although continuing among the 
more active races, remained indifferent to the general trend 
which was continually drifting toward an initiative leading to 
the present civilization. All such tribes were common among 
the Semitic or other Asiatic branches of the human family. 
The least change in climate or mannerism, caused by an ap- 
proach of a western people, was sufficient to brmg about a 
wholesale slavery and the final extinction of an entire Oriental 
nation. All those colored races which have no established civ- 
ilization of their own, as soon as they come in touch with the 
European or w^ith western culture, are losing their indepen- 
dence very rapidly and there remains no hope for them unless 
they are ready to assimilate wholly with their superiors. It 
would be almost an impossibility to distinguish even one Eu- 
ropean state and trace the genealogy of its inhabitants to a 
certain branch of the human family of ancient origin, because 
the different races of the earth have long since been fused to- 
gether. 

But such cannot be said of the people of Israel, notwith- 
standing its cc'unection with the Semite race. For Israel was 
foremost in making history and in the preservation thereof; 
he heads the list of the world's greatest and through him the 
world has learned to discern good from evil. His patriarchs 
are recognized by all living, even unto this day, as the found- 



154 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



ers of everything" useful for the elevation of humankind, and 
every progressive idea leading man to a summit of civiliza- 
tion was originated by him ; he was first to put an end to idol- 
atry and first to believe in God ; he was first to sing of the beau- 
ties of Nature and first to communicate with the Creator of 
this massive universe. If the history of the people of Israel 
be forgotten by man what will remain of the entire founda- 
tion of the present civilization which we boast of? Where 
will the origin of the sublimest creature, of man, be traced lo 
if the Bible be wholly forgotten? Remove the songs of the 
Psalmists, the wise counsel of the prophets, the philosophy 
of all the Biblical heroes, the laws of God and the story of the 
evolution of mankind from the memory of man, and the whole 
world will be left in an immense babel, in a confusion of 
matchless demoralization. 

Ever since the founder of the Hebrew creed, Abraham, 
left Ur of the Chaldees, the Jew became the therrnometer of 
the world's civilization ; through him have the degrees of 
human progress been registered. For, when Egyptian task- 
masters compelled Jewish slaves tO' build everlasting pyramids 
to please the fancy of their tyrannical Pharoes, the other races 
of the world knew that in the greatest empire of their age 
men were as yet likened unto the fishes of the sea — the greater 
swallowed the smaller — and that the creature in the image of 
God was as yet not much ahead of the- brute. When Israel 
stood beneath the Mount Sinai, trembling with fear before the 
glory of the Master of the universe, the clamor of heavenly 
cannon heralded to the whole human race that the end of idol- 
atrv had come, that God is one God, and that He is a God of 



TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION 155 

vengeance. When the Romans, after razing to the ground the 
most sacred structure in history, amused themselves by 
throwing men, women and children of Israel to hungry lions, 
the rest of mankind knew that the very great empire had out- 
lived the period of its glory and that its future course would be 
on the downward direction, that a people possessed of so much 
mercilessness cannot continue to exert influence over the most 
humane branch of God's make, nor any longer command the 
affairs of the world and its civilization. When Spain wilfully 
burned tens of thousands and expelled hundreds of thousands 
of Israel's children, all other nations knew that the epoch of 
darkness had done its utmost, that that vast empire had sur- 
passed in everything inhuman and unnatural every cruel na- 
tion in the annals of the world, and that its fate would be re- 
corded with the same indifference as were the fates of all 
other such countries. When the Jews were readmitted into 
the territories of great Britain, all other oppressed peoples 
knew that a new era dawned, that the poor mens' chance had 
come, and that henceforth rays of sunshine would guide the 
footsteps of the toilers, and no more would the few predom- 
inate over the millions without the latter's consent. When 
Jewish infants were killed in broad daylight in the streets of 
Russia because their fathers and their mothers were not born 
Slavs, the whole civilized wo^rld knew that darkness still pre- 
vailed in the kingdom of the czars, that in that land man and 
beasts alike are ruled with equal ferocity and that if the long 
night will continue for a few generations longer Russia will 
share the fate of Babylon, Rome, Spain and Pbland. When 
the first Jew could boast of being a citizen of the United 



156 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



States of America, every inhabitant of the globe knew what 
the great wings of America's eagle aimed to protect, what re- 
pubHcanism was destined to do for the homeless and for the 
oi>pressed, what the whole world was still lacking and what 
the future had in store for every tyrant. 

Today if there is any country which the Jew cares not to 
establish himself in, or is anxious to go out from, the whole 
world knows that that land must either be below the plane 
of modern civilization or its commerce is ruined. 

The Jews have been makers of history wherever they have 
chanced to penetrate, and, in the common pursuit of their pro- 
saic existence, or in endeavoring to attain the position which 
their ancestors aimed at when they started out on their march 
to carry Jehovah's banner to its goal, they have distinguished 
themselves with such remarkable achievements that the history 
of the smallest group of them is instructive to the A^^hole hu- 
man race. For, notwithstanding the many disadvantages 
which the Jew meets at every new location, he always man- 
ages to climb to the topmost position, and from whatever point 
of view the Jew in history might be considered he always re- 
mains the most interesting subject of the sublimest events. 

The few thousand Jews who were fortunate enough to 
witness the dawn of the grandest century of the world's history 
in this country were located niostly in the larger cities, which 
afforded them easy access to and direct communication with 
the markets of the w^orld. They were largely from Spanish, 
Portuguese and French origin, and therefore had a just claim 
of being counted among the nobility of the House of Israel. 
But it also appears* that some of them, in addition to quite a 



TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION 157 

few who have come toi this country from every state of 
Europe, ventured a journey farther south to estabhsh 
themselves in the distant rural districts. In but few years 
the latter have become a forceful element in the development 
of unbroken regions and in the- establishment of new colo- 
nies in the southern states. From them quite a number have 
been wholly assimilated, and very frequently the traveler 
meets people who are proud to relate their genealogy and there- 
by boast that their great-grandfather or great-grandmother 
was of Jewish descent. 

The Northwest was no exception in any detail as regards 
the early Jewish stragglers, for names such as Israel, Jacobs, 
Abrahamson, etc., are frequently met with and the Jewish 
companion in most cases is informed that some one of that 
family "many years ago" was of Jewish descent. Hence it 
is very probable that as soon as a key was found tO' unlock the 
mysterious West, its prairies, forests, rivers and lakes were 
penetrated and fathomed by quite a few of the children of the 
wandering Jew. 

The beautiful stretch of territory now embracing the head 
state of the Louisiana purchase — Iowa — was, at the dawn of 
the nineteenth century, an unbroken desert, comprising nu- 
merous prairies, forests, mountains, dales, lakes, rivers, brooks 
and a few of the fiercest kind of Indian tribes. The famous 
chiefs of the Foxes, Sioux, Sacs and Pottawattamies were 
in those days the dread of all western explorers, and even the 
government soldiers could not, at that time, forsee such speedy 
downfall for their predomination on this magnificent spot of 
America's soil. Julian Dubuque, the first white settler in 



158 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Iowa, who worked lead mines in the region where now 
flourishes the city bearing- his name, at the close of the eight- 
eenth century, died, and there were none after him wdio ven- 
tured to establish a permanent colony of whites among the 
savage tribes for more than a quarter of a century. About 
1828, a number of adventurers of Illinois invaded the region 
where Julian Dubuque worked the lead mines and attempted 
to open it for civilization, but their efforts were repulsed by 
the savages, and they were forced to retreat. After the Black 
Hawk war ( 1832) a few of them returned, and to their amaze- 
ment found the entire region deserted. Soon those few were 
re-enforced, and a foundation for the future state of Iowa 
was laid, and the first white settlement west of St. Louis was 
organized. 

Among the pioneers of Iowa who added splendor to the 
patriarchal work of those romantic days was an Israelite, and 
he, O'f all others, was most conspicuous and distinguished. His 
name was Alexander L^vi, and he landed, together with many 
other pioneers, on the first day of August, 1833. Mr. Levi 
was born in France March 13, 1809, and his ancestry was 
traced back to a most noble family of Spanish Jews, who, dur- 
ing the expulsion, fled to Portugal and thence to France. He 
opened a grocery in the newly organized village, which was 
named Dubuque, and whatever cheerfulness there was about 
the dreary little place w^as in his store. There the miners came 
and met together, and there were many scenes of early Iowa 
politics lined out. It also appears that he knew how to ap- 
preciate the value of advertising a business, for in the first 
Iowa newspaper, the "Dulnique Visitor," May 11, 1836, an 
ad., telling what he had for sale is found. 



TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION 



159 



It was indeed natural for Jewish adventurers to go tu 
newly broken territories and establish themselves in whatever 




.-^ O^^^ 



Founder Iowa Jewry, 1833 



capacity they deemed best for their advantage and it is, there- 
fore, very probable that many more Jewish stragglers have 
settled themselves in the northwest during its early days. In- 



i6o THE JEWS OF IOWA 



deed, if any weight shall be put upon a name (and in Jewish 
history of this hemisphere we most often resort to tracing a 
name) it is an obvious fact that among the crew of Father 
Hennepin, when he first visited Iowa while journeying with 
LaSalle (1680), was a Jew, because among them appears the 
name of one Moses deXeon. Some would have it that even 
the name De Soto is Jewish, and the fact that those Jews who 
continued in Spain after the expulsion had to conceal their 
identity, bears witness that he was a descendant from a Jewish 
family bearing that name. One fact, however, remains to be 
chronicled, that among the United States soldiers serving 
under Zebulun M. Pike (1804) were Jews who formerly 
helped the cause of the revolution against George III. 

The year 1837, witnessed a most remarkable event in the 
history of Iowa, and it was not until Iowa became a terri^oiy 
that such an important incident could happen. It was then 
that the first foreigner became a naturalized citizen cf the 
Iowa territory and of the United States of America. Stranger 
than even the incident itself was that the first foreigner to be 
naturalized in Iowa was Mr. Alexander Levi, the first Jewish 
settler in Iowa. So far as it could be ascertained, Mr. Levi 
enjoyed the most remarkable distinction in the history of the 
Jews of America, for it is not on record whether or not any 
other Jew had the fortune of being the first citizen of any other 
state in the Union. 

In the history of Jefferson county, Iowa, an account is 
given of one D. Morris, who had come from South Carolina 
and laid claim to a tract of land in the western part of that 



TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION i6i 

county near Locust Grove, and he surprised all the neighbors 
by being the most favored white settler among the Indians^ 
though he never gave the latter a taste of liquor. Mr. Morris 
appears tO' have been a Jew from! every trace which is left be- 
hind him, and the fact that even unto this day the traveler 
meets quite a number of families bearing the name of Mjrris, 
and most of them assert to belong to one family which acinic 
hither from England along with the others who landed in 
Savannah, Ga., removes the least doubt, and he certainly was 
the first Jewish farmer in Iowa. 

The early settlers of Iowa appear to have manifested great 
interest in the Jewish people (which in itself is an indication 
that they were quite familiar with some of them) particularly 
were the fair daughters of Israel great favorites of the Iowa 
pioneers. In "The Iowa Sun" (August 28, 1839) ^ writer 
of no mean ability endeavors quite elaborately to create a newi 
theory about the Jewish women in the following language: 
"The unexcelled beauty of the daughters of Israel might be 
traced to the legend that Jesus the Jew gave his last glance up- 
on themi, and, as they were not as stubborn in denouncing him, 
the rays of light which rested upon his fase reflected upon 
them and they remained beautiful forever." Strange as this 
assertion appears, yet it seems to have been well taken by the 
Iowa pioneers, for in the following year a steamboat was, for 
the first time in Jewish histo'ry, named "Jewess." And after 
being thus elated by the beauty of the daughters of Zion, the 
early Iowa paragrapher ventured a joke or so' at the expense 
of the latter, of which the following is a fair specimen: "A 
man who had married a Jewess shortly afterwards joined the 



i62 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Temperance Society, and never dared to kiss his wife from that 
day because he considered himself prohibited by the pledge 
from meddling with 'Jew lips' (julips.)" 

About the year 1840, the Jewish peddler, with a pack on 
his shoulders, appeared upon Iowa soil, and no sooner had 
the men with the hoe found out that Iowa was good enough 
for them to invest their labor in than the footprints of the Jew- 
ish peddlers told the woe of the eternal wanderers a id re- 
minded the world that the wearied Israelite is ready at any 
time to go to the most remots places and embrace the first op- 
portunity of establishing himself anywhere if only a secured 
home is offered to him in return for his labor, skill :md great 
resource of brains. 

From the Fort Madison Courier, October 3c. 1847, it ap- 
pears that Nathan Louis and Solomon Fine (apparently of 
Russian or Polish origin) were the first Jewish peddler? in 
this state. They appear to have afterwards settled themselves 
in Keokuk, and subsequently in McGregor, but no definite re- 
count can be obtained as to their final fortunes in this <^tate. 

The first Jew to have served in an official capacity in this 
state was Mr. Samuel Jacobs, of Jefferson county. He was 
the surveyor of that county as early as 1840, and, considering 
the fact that Jefferson county was one of the most desirable 
locations, its pioneers were indeed^ of a splendid mould. Hence 
to have had the honor of being an officeholder among them ^-e- 
quired a man of influence and education, which certainly leads 
us to believe that Mr. Jacobs must have been there at least 
three or four years prior to his appointment. From the va- 



TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION 163 

rious sources dealing with the history of Jefferson county and 
possible to throw light on Mr. Jacobs' biography, it appears 
that he was born in this country; that he came here and hid 
claim to a tract of land ; that he was afterwards a storekeeper, 
and that he was a man of education and honest principles. 

In 1842, the whole world was amazed at the prediction 
that the world was to be consumed by fire, and, as it appears, 
the danger point extended even as far as the solitary colonies 
of Iowa. It was a pity, indeed, to have those self-sacrificing 
pioneers, who had just commenced to reap the harvest of riieir 
hard labor, frightened in such an outrageous manner, but be 
as it may, the astrolo'gian had to tell the ''truth," even as the 
prophets of yore did when Almighty told them to fortell 
the downfall of Elgypt, Babylon or Jerusalem, and when such 
was the condition of certain stars he, too, was compelled to tell 
the world to be ready for doomsday, even though they disliked 
it sorely. The Iowa papers devoted their best space in warning 
their patrons to "look out." The Mormon ideas, which at 
that time began to gain prominence in Iowa, were bitterly at- 
tacked for the same reason, saying: "What use can there be 
in multiplying upon this world when it is about to be doom- 
ed?" Every cabin, every shop was consecrated for a tempor- 
ary church, and they were filled daily with eager worshipers, 
who bewailed their past and made vows for the future if they 
only be spared. 

In connection with this, a most beautiful story is still cur- 
rent among the "old timers," which is well worthy of being 
preserved as a specimen of how the Jew carries along the purity 
of belief wherever he goes. "A certain peddler, named Louis 



I64 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



(pro'bably the same Louis of whom mention is made in the 
Fort Madison Courier), who had an extensive acquaintance 
throughout Lee county, chanced at a cabin where services 
were conducted, and out of respect for the worshipers he 
wanted toi pass on witho-ut stopping at the cabin, though he 
knew Uncle Henry, the occupant of the cabin and had dealt 
with him many times before. But Uncle Henry noticed him 
and hallooed for him tO' come in. Louis came into the cabin 
and found a general handshaking, which was a sign that the 
services w^ere over. And the preacher came to the peddler 
and asked him why he is thus unconcerned over the terrible 
prediction of the stars, Louis answered that he believed 
not a word of it. Here Uncle Henry got angry and said a 
couple of uncomplimentary words to Louis and to the Jews 
in general. But the peddler was disinclined to let his host have 
the best of the argument, even though he had to resort to some- 
thing unusual, and, loosening his pack from his shoulders, he 
opened it and took out an Old Testament and called the 
preacher to read aloud Jeremiah, chapter X, paragraph 2. And 
the preacher fixed his spectacles with an air of the highest 
authority on earth on the day of its doom, and read the fol- 
lowing: 'Thus saith the Lord, learn not the w^ay of .V.e 
heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the 
heathens are dismayed at them.' Mr. Louis sold his entire 
pack of goods to^ the worshipers, and not a word more was 
uttered about the doom of the world for miles around, and 
when Louis came again next year Uncle Henry assured him 
tiiat he was the only peddler he would ever buy goods of. 



TtRRITORIAL ORGANIZATION 165 

The sentiment of the Iowa pioneers seems to have been 
very favorable toward the Jews, and, searching through every 
county history in the state possible to have any relation to 
the early Jewish settlers, no trace can be found of any distinc- 
tion between Jew and Gentile from the very first colony even 
untO' the time when the Jewish wealth and influence com- 
menced to be conspicuous all over Iowa. On July 8, 1843, 
the fo'llo'wing article, which cannot be given too- much circula- 
tion, appeared in 'The Lee County Democrat' : 

"The present physical, moral and social condition of the 
Jews must be a miracle. We can come to no other conclusion. 
Had they continued from the commencement of the Christian 
era down tO' the present hour in some such national state in 
which we find the Chinese, walled off from the rest of the 
human family, and by their selfishness on a national scale and 
their repulsion of alien elements resisting every assault from 
without, in the shape of a hostile invasion, and from an over- 
powering national pride forbidding the introduction of new 
and foreign customs, we should not see so much miracle in- 
terwoven with their existence. But this is not their state; far 
from it. 

"They are neither a united and Independent nation, nor a 
parasitic province. They are peeled and scattered Into frag- 
ments; but like broken pieces of quick silver, instinct with 
cohesive power, ever claiming affinity and ever ready to amal- 
gamate. 

"Geography, arms, genius, politics and foreign help do not 
explain their existence; time, and climate, and customs equally 
fail to unravel It. None of these are or can be springs of their 
perpetuity. 



[66 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



"They have spread over every part of the habitable globe ; 
have lived under the reign of every dynasty; they have shared 
the protection of just laws, the oppression of cruel ones and 
witnessed the rise and progress of both ; they have used every 
tongue and have lived in every latitude. 

'The snows of Lapland have chilled and the suns of Africa 
have scorched them. 

"They have drank of the Tiber, the Thames, the Jordan 
and the Mississippi. In every country and in every degree of 
latitude and longitude we find a Jew. 

"It is not so with any other race. Empires, the most il- 
lustrious, have fallen and buried men that constructed them, 
but the Jew has lived among the ruins, a living monument of 
indestructibility. 

"Persecution has unsheathed the sword and lighted the 
fagot; papal superstition, moslem^ barbarism have smote 
them with unsparing ferocity; penal rescript and deep 
prejudice have visited on them the most unrighteous chastise- 
ment — and notwithstanding all, they survive. 

"Like their own bush on ^Mount Horeb, Israel has con- 
tinued in the flames, but unconsumed. 

"A Babylonian, a Theben, a Spartan, an Athenian, a 
Roman are names known in history only ; their shadows alone 
haunt the world and flicker the tablets. A Jew walks every 
street, dwells in every capital, traverses every exchange, and 
relieves the monotony of the nations of the earth. 

"The race has inherited the heirloom of immortality, in- 
capable of extinction or amalgamation. 



TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION 167 

"Like streamlets from a common head and composed of 
water of peculiar nature, they have flowed along every stream 
without blending with it or receiving its flavO'r, and traversed 
the surface O'f the globe amidst the lapse of many centuries 
distinct, alone. 

"The Jewish race at this day is perhaps the most striking 
seal of truth of the sacred oracles. 

"There is no possibility of accounting for their perpetuai 
insolations, their depressed but distinct being, on any grounds, 
save those revealed in truth." 

The inhabitants of a country who, from the very begin- 
ning, have been friendly to the Jew and treated him brotherly 
can never become anti-Semitic, and in a land which is inhab- 
ited by people who pay such tributes to the most persecuted 
race in history, Israel could safely establish himself and jom 
his new friends in all of their pursuits without the least fear 
of a sudden reverse. And Israel did so. 

About that time (1843) ^^ incident of uncomomn signifi- 
cance came to pass in Dubuque, and the details thereof throw 
much light on the life of the early Jewish settlers. Mr. SoL 
Kuh, an old settler of this state and now (1903) a resident of 
Sioux Falls, S. D., who knew Mr. Levi, is still able to recount 
the whole incident and speaks very enthusiastically of it. A 
certain Jewish merchant, said tO' have come from; Alsace, but 
whose name cannot be learned despite many efforts, settled 
down in Dubuque a few years after Mr. Levi did; and, as 
he was still single, a courtship between him and a highly cul- 
tured Gentile lady, who^ was respected in society and very 



i68 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



prominent in church circles, sprang forth, and it ended in a 
marriage between the two. The wedding (this certainly was 
the first marriage of a Jew in Iowa) was the talk of the town 
for many months, and all the staunch chruch members were 
delighted indeed to have added to their number such a worthy 
convert. A year elapsed and the couple still continued to be 
the center of attraction for the best class of society folk in 
Dubuque, for their doors were thrown widely open for all 
kinds of social doings. 

Mr. Levi, though friends with all and a single man him- 
self, politely declined every invitation, beginning with the ur- 
gent request to attend the marriage ceremony, which was sol- 
emnized in a church, but he made no comment whatever. 

But the couple had enjoyed more than their share of tem- 
poral happiness during such comparatively short time, and, 
either because of miscalculated economy or reckless lavish- 
ness, the new church member had to' resort to something very 
disagreeable to the pious in order to save himself from a crisis 
of financial distress; for, on a certain day he was discovered 
packing up some goods belonging to his creditors with inten- 
tions to ship it across the Mississippi. 

The creditors took action against him, and he was com- 
pelled to face serious charges, which was certainly a discredit 
to him; and his entire host of new friends cared very little 
about the result, for when he w^as placed in the county jail 
none cared to aid him in the least. 

A few (lays after, two preachers came tO' "'see" Mr. Levi, 
who was, during those days, the most unconcerned person in 



TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION 169 

the whole community. The founder of the luwa Jewry had 
nothing out of the ordinary to tell to the representatives of 
the gospel so long as they coaifined the interview to- innocent 
talk, but when they told him that they ''never thought the 
Jew would prove so tricky, that they now believed some of the 
horrible tales told about the Jews and that henceforth they 
would look out," he replied in the following words, which 
•speak volumes for the sentiments of the Jewish pioneers re- 
;garding assimilation. 

Said Mr, Levi : ''You have undoubtedly considered the Jew 
a very good man, else a prominent church lady would have 
refused to entertain and accept a proposal from him ; you have 
certainly been of the opinion that he was free from all bad 
"habits, else you would not have accepted him as a member in 
your church; you have, I presume, considered him one of the 
best sons of Israel, else your joy of getting him across the 
g^ulf would not have been as great ; you have, as you know, 
thought him to be a gentleman of refinement and good stand- 
ing, else you would not have frequented his house and suffered 
yourselves to attend so many of the functions given by him. 
Now, how comes it, that continuing for but one year as a 
member of your church, he is no longer a gentleman, no 
longer honest, no longer successful and no longer fit to be 
■either Jew or Gentile? That he v/as a good man prior thereto 
cannot be questioned, since he has been honest, successful and 
upright SO' loug as he continued tO' be a Jew, sO' long as I 
could claim him as a brother in exile, so long as the conduct 
of his orthodox parents still appealed to his sympathy. Does 
it not, therefore, appear most strange to you that such a good 



170 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



man shall fall so low in such a brief period? The truth is 
this: Till the last minute the Jews could yet claim him as 
theirs, till the last minute he yet claimed tO' belong to them, 
he was that which he was destined to be, that which he was 
born for, and, therefore, cared not, to change the tranquility 
of his life — and as such, continued tO' be a credit to his people 
and a benefit toi organized society. But the minute he joined 
yO'U, the minute your environments pulled him out of his root, 
the minute he lost his originality, he was compelled tO' please 
a society, a church and a woman wdiom he did not understand 
and who could be contented with anything but his Jewishness. 
Thus he was noi longer responsible for his deeds as a Jew. 
Hence, in this case you are the defendants, and all the more 
honor for those Jews who continue as such." 

Mr. Kuh, who is responsible for the abo\^e, was himself a 
pioneer in Iowa, and knew Mr. Levi personally. 

But as yet the number of the Jewish pioneers in Iowa did 
not exceed sixteen souls; the family Morris numbered five 
soiuls, the family Jacobs, four, Messrs. A. and J. Levi, and 
five peddlers, all of whom were scattered about in different 
sections. And, during the territorial days, practically no at- 
tempt was made by any of the Jews to> form any sort of organ- 
ization; in fact, one knew not whether the other existed in 
Iowa. The final progressive strides taken by the Iowa Jews 
commenced after this state joined the Union and its fame as a 
rich region was spread throughout the country. 



EARLY DAYS OF STATEHOOD 171 



CHAPTER XIII. 

V 

JEWS DURING EARLY DAYS OF STATEHOOD, 1846-1855. 

The Peddler — Mr. Levi, of Dubuque — A Jew Among the 
Founders of Des Moines^ — WilHam Krouse's Story of Early 
Days — Jews in Keokuk, Burlington, Fort Madison, Musca- 
tine, Davenport and Sioux City — Foundations for Future 
Jewish Organizations — List of Pioneers. 

When Iowa was finally admitted into the union it was still 
in its first stage of development. The absence of every equip- 
ment for a civilized life was as yet apparent in almost every 
locality wherein a group of people had deigned to establish 
themselves, and the want of everything which makes life pleas- 
ant to the human being was as yet felt by all the inhabitants 
of the youthful state. The rural districts at that time were 
possessed of every similarity to the world the day after Adam 
was driven out of Paradise — everything had to be started, 
every step was an initiative, every cabin was the first one on 
the particular spot to serve as a shelter for civilized members 
of the human family. The very rain never before fell upon 
the soil of Iowa to moisten it for the benefit of civilization. 
Vast prairies, beasts of the field, roaming animals of the for- 



172 ' THE JEWS OF IOWA 



ests, fishes of the rivers and streamlets, birds of the air, reptiles 
from beneath the rocks and mounds, had hitherto been the 
only inhabitants of most of what is now the great state of 
Iowa, and all of these were left for the pioneers to till, to 
conquer, to have dominion over and to possess. And, indeed, 
all that which was before conceded to be only a desert was 
turned into the garden spot of the Mississippi Valley. 

During the summer months, however, the tillers of the 
ground found some cheerfulness about their solitary huts; the 
nimble foot of the youngster combating the greyhound, 
the songs of the maidens who yet remembered the airs of 
European peasantry, the solemn echo- of the brook's murmur, 
the melancholy prattle of the leaves, of the corn stalks and of 
the wild buds, the heavenly chorus of the lark and nightingale, 
the buzz of the bee on its flight to the honeysuckle, the har- 
monious sounds of Nature in her full bloom added to the 
picturesque landscapes which the immense prairies and long 
ranges of hills in Iowa afford were invigorating, indeed, tO' the 
farmer when, at eve, after a hearty meal, he sat down to watch 
the disappearance of the golden rays from the western hilltops 
and the appearance of a dense mass of mist, the dew of heaven, 
from yon eastern forest. 

But ah, the dreary winter, the very death of Nature ! The 
watery snowflakes, the congealed air, the angry blast of the 
wind's sigh, the frozen window panes, the deadly mantle cov- 
ering the trees, the grass and the mounds, the night raven's dis- 
mal voice, the dread of seclusion during the horrible long 
nights, the lonely feeling of being alone the minute Nature 
breathes her last, added to the lack of comfort about the little 



EARLY DAYS OF STATEHOOD 173 



home, heaped dismay upon distress among the early toilers of 
Iowa, and laid out a scene resembling the Dead Sea the day 
after Israel was led in exile, around every cabin, which in 
those days was called home. 

Quite a welcome guest during the winter months was the 
peddler. For him the secluded peasant and the eager villager 
were longing, and the day the peddler passed through a com- 
munity was a very cheerful one among the inhabitants of the 
stretch of territory he happened to penetrate. The young ones 
made it a holiday; they were permitted to look into his pack, 
to see so many pretty things. They got some presents from 
their parents and a token from the peddler. The maidens, they 
also found delight in the appearance of the man with the pack. 
They got some jewels, handkerchiefs and the ''latest fas- 
cinators." Ah, will the boys not die for them now! Even the 
mother was well pleased with him, for she bought some linens 
and, ''so cheap!" 

But picture the fate of the poor peddler! Behold him and 
see what life he led, what fate he met with ere he came to this 
blessed land. 

With a pack equaling in weight his own size upon his lean 
shoulders, every limb stiffened with cold, his clothes covered 
with many inches of snow, icicles clinging to his nostrils and 
freezing his breath, his staff— aye the staff with so many tales 
of woe, of the story of Israel— covered with ice and snow, his 
eyes constantly on the watch, even like unto a hawk, lest he 
will miss a cabin, a hut, a smoke through some distant chim- 
ney, strolls the forsaken pack carrier. His mind runs back to a 
little room across the Atlantic, where are lodged his dear 



174 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Leah and little black-eyed Mosie and pretty little Sarah, and 
once in there a most pitiful scene was pictured before his mind's 
eye. He sees the beauty of his youthful wife faded away be- 
fore the cruel hand of fate, beholds her looking through the 
small pane nervously, he hears her exclaim in despair when 
the mail carrier passes by and stops not at her door, he look^ 
at his young ones, and lo ! they have nothing he wishes them 
to have, and, — suddenly this scene disappears and a new one 
comes in its stead. He imagines himself once more in the 
little synagO'gue, adorned with fringes and phylacteries and 
praying to the God of Israel for the restoration of Zion — ah, if 
that would come toi pass, would I not have a home! runs 
through his mind — for a good year for all peoples of the 
earth so that Israel might have something of what is left of 
all other people's mouths. He hears his own words uttered be- 
fore his departure to his grizzled father and aged mother, say- 
ing: '*Do not weep, my dear parents, God will have mercy. 
His people will noi longer continue in exile. Fear not, I shall 
not forget Him. I will continue as you have instructed me, 
even though I be cast away in a strange land, I here vow my- 
self not to seek other gods, not to forsake my people, even 
though I shall possess great wealth." He also' hears his wife's 
pleadings not to forget her and her little ones; to remember 
that she was left without the least means to live upon. The part- 
ing scene which must be left sacred within his heart is again 
pictured before him, and ah, as yet he could do nothing for 
them! It was his first day's experience in the ''golden land." 

With a beaming smile does the lonely inhabitant of a 
small cabin open the door for him. ''Indeed," says the farmer 
to himself, "the peddler brings along a store of information; 



EARLY DAYS OF STATEHOOD 175 

he surely knows the markets of everything I have for sale; 
he will tell me 'all about town/ besides he will sell me all I 
must have for Mary, for Mike, for Maggie, for Johnny, for 
Jim and for myself — on credit — of course I'll pay him when 
I sell everything." 

The poor peddler, the minute he stepped upon the farmer^s 
premises, forgot all about his own troubles and concentrated 
his mind only on one subject, that is, to^ sell the farmer as much 
as possible Then, of course, he will have made h, dollar or two 
which he will have toi send tO' his wife. 

Unfortunate peddler ! dismayed farmer ! One could not 
understand the other; one spoke Yiddish, the other Irish- 
one needed goods on credit, the other was praying for a cus- 
tomer with cash. They loved one another, perhaps better than 
at another time, for the tie of mankind is best knit together 
when it is stricken with suffering, but they could not help one 
another. 

'Tndeed," said the farmer to his wife after the peddler's 
departure, ''Mary, we are happy ; we have bread and w^ood and 
a cabin wherein to lodge during these dreadful days and 
nights." 

The feelings of the poor peddler can be imagined better 
than described. Such were the prevailing conditions among 
the early settlers oi the poorer classes of whom the Jew- 
ish peddler suffered most. 

And during the first ten years after Iowa became a state 
the number of Jewish peddlers w^as not less than one hundred. 
But they were sufferers for but a short period, and noi sooner 
had they acquired the language than we find them established 
in the mercantile or other pursuits of a commercial nature. 



176 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



In the year 1846, the few Jews of Iowa could boast of hav- 
ing a worthy officeholder in the city of Dubuque, and he was 
none other than the esteemed Mr. Leyi. He was honored by 




MRS. A. LEVI 
First Jewish Woman in Iowa who is Still Among the Living 

his fellow citizens, with whom he struggled together from the 
very minute the foundation of Iowa was laid. They chose him 
as their justice of the peace. In the following year, Mr. Levi 



EARLY DAYS OF STATEHOOD 177 

went on a visit to his native land, and returning, he surprised 
his friends by bringing along a charming bride. He married 
a distant cousin of his named Miss Minette Levi, who was 
also a native of France and as faithful a Jewess as he was a 
faithful Jew. 

In 1848, a daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Levi, whom 
they named Eliza. She was the first Jewish child bom on 
Iowa soil ; but, unfortunately, she was an invalid most of her 
days and died in 1873. The present Mrs. James Levi of Du- 
buque, who is also the daughter of the founder of the Iowa 
Jewry, holds the record of being the oldest living Jewish lady 
born in Iowa. (December 10, 1855.) She has inherited her fath- 
er's staunch principles in Judaism and is one of the foremost 
ladies of Dubuque. In writing about the condition of Judaism 
in this country Mrs. Levi greatly bewails the lack of interest 
among the yoiung American Jews in Judaism. "I have 
always instilled Judaism in my children the same as my 
papa had in me," reads one sentence of Mrs. Levi's com- 
munication. "But," she continues, "God hath punished 
me greatly; my son Jesse, twenty years old, a student in 
the University of Chicago for two years and a great violinist, 
went out swimming with my consent, but came home no 
more. Among those who have sent condolence was a personal 
letter from Dr. Harper, the president of the University of 
Chicago." 

"My mother is eighty- four years old now (1904); she 
was well up to Jesse's death, but is almost broken down now." 



178 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Mr. James Levi is an Iowa pioneer himself and is one of the 
wealthiest Jewish merchants of Iowa. 

Mr. A. Levi was honored by the citizens of Dubuque till the 





^ 


f 


•^. 


m 


*-■ 




„ ^ 




^Hl^«. 



■#v 



MRS. JAMES LEVI 

day of his death, and when he breathed his last, a universal 
sorrow was expressed by every one who ever came in con- 
tact with him. He died Friday evening, March 31, 1893, and 
his funeral was one of the largest ever witnessed by the citizen? 



EARLY DAYS OF STATEHOOD i79 



of Dubuque. Many Masonic representatives from various 
sections of the state came to pay their last respects to their 
honored brother who was no more, and Rabbi Messing of 
Chicago, a friend of the deceased, conducted the services and 
dehvered the funeral oration. 

The next Jewish pioneer in Iowa who figured in the de- 
velopment of things at the very beginning was Mr. William 
Krouse. He enjoyed the remarkable distinction of being the 
founder of the largest Jewry of this state, and of founding 
the first public school in Iowa's metropolis— Des Moines. Mr. 
Kro^use was born in Demmelsdorf, Germany, about 1823, and, 
as the conditions at that time were as yet anything but favor- 
able to the Jewish people in Germany, William came to this 
country when he was a youth oi nineteen, bringing along a 
younger brother Robert, with him. He had quite an 
education, and had the benefit of some knowledge in Hebrew. 
He landed in this country in 1843, and started O'ut his career 
as a peddler. After remaining in the east for some time, he 
came to Iowa with a handsome fortune at his command. But 
it appears that he also penetrated the prairies of Iowa hunt- 
ing for customers among the newly built huts of the pioneers, 
and not until 1848, did he start up in business. He must have 
been indeed a great peddler, for according to his own state- 
ment made to a writer oi the history of Polk county, he had 
an extensive acquaintance all over the state, and that helped 
him largely in furthering the movement "to remove the Iowa 
capitol from Iowa City to Fort Des Moines." He was indeed 
the most strenuous Jewish pioneer on record, for not only was 
he a great promoter of his own business, but in every com- 
munity where he landed he left nothing good undone. 



x8o THE JEWS OF IOWA 



In 1848, the present magnificent city of Des Moines was 
a deserted spot, possessed of everything but favorable prospects 
for a large city. Its name at that time was ''Raccoon Forks," 




THE LATE MR. KROUSE 

and the entire number of inhabitants was from twelve to four- 
teen, without even a single business establishment, or the 
least idea of what it might turn out to be. 

In that year Mr. Krouse, in pursuit of finding a suitable lo- 
cation, came to Raccoon Forks, and after looking over the 



EARLY DAYS OF STATEHOOD 



field and finding it attractive, he came to the conclusion that 
he could make something out of the forsaken hamlet. He de- 
parted for a large market, bought a good stock of goods, and 
came to the delighted villagers to sell them goods and live 
among them. He at once gained the confidence of the people 
and his name attracted many newcomers, and in but a short 
while they had organized a town and named it Fort Des 
Moines. Mr. Krouse's account of the early days oif Des Moines 
follows verbatim: "Although it is many years since I left 
Des Moines, the incidents of the early days are still fresh in 
my mind. When I first stepped upon the soil of your, or 
rather of my city, it was called Raccoon Forks, and I don't 
think that we could have counted more than fifteen or twenty 
inhabitants. Later, in the fall of 1848, people commenced to 
come in, and upon taking the census at the end of that year, 
we mustered up the great number of forty-eight souls, and in 
order tO' make a large showing, we stepped over the town 
limits and counted in a large, respectable family by the name 
of Rathbun, thus raising the number to fifty-three. A little 
later on we organized and made a town of it and called it 
Fort Des Moines. From that time on we commenced to grow 
very rapidly. A great many of the old settlers, as I believe, 
are no more, but some, such as Hoyt Sherman, P. M. Casady, 
Frank Allen and others, are still in our midst, and long life 
to them. In those early days I was one of the founders of a 
public school and was a director in it. I also aided in build- 
ing churches, and their completion came in the following or- 
der: First the Methodist, then the Presbyterian, and some 



i82 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



years after the Catholic. To each and every one I was a lib- 
eral contributor. Thus you will see the great progress we 
were making even in those early days." 

The above was written in 1898, by Mr. Krouse, and was 
furnished upon request by the writer of the history of Polk 
county, Iowa. 

Mr. Krouse's mercantile establishment proved to be both 
useful to the pioneers of Des Moines and profitable to him- 
self. He was indeed, the organ of vitality in the little town, 
for not only has he been distinguished as a promoter of com- 
merce, but he also was most conspicuous in the avenues of civ- 
ilization. 

In 1849, Fort Des Moanes became important enough to 
seek statewide recognition and as it ap^pears, Mr. Krouse 
was the projector, or one of the projectors, to have the cap- 
itol removed from Iowa City to Des Moines. Accordingly, Mr. 
Krouse, Judge McKay, Dr. Brooks, Mr. Hoyt Sherman and 
Mr. Berkley were appointed as lobbyists to go to Iowa City 
and influence the legislature so that the latter might give con- 
sent for the removal of the capitol. 

Thus we learn that the Jew, wherever he went, has made 
his mark, and in whatever community he chanced to locate 
himself he at once became a potent factor in its affairs. 

Mr. Krouse married Miss Minna Maur, and his five chil- 
dren who survive him are influential in Jewish affairs as well 
as in the commercial circles of the city of New York. 

Meantime his brother, Mr. Robert Krouse, settled himself 
in the then unorganized village and the present city of Daven- 



EARLY DAYS OF STATEHOOD 183 



port, and was a sucessful merchant among the German pio- 
neers of this state. The latter was born in 1833, and came to 
this country in 1843, and while yet a child he utilized his time 
in different pursuits of a commercial nature. He married 
Miss Louisa Steinhilber, oi Wheeling, W. Va., in i860, and 
two daughters were bom unto them. 

In 1 85 1, another pioneer of considerable merit came to 
Iowa, but he was at first less fortunate than the others men- 
tioned in these pages. He was Mr. C. W. Schrieber, later 
of the firm of Schrieber and Strinsky of Dubuque, who were 
the first junk dealers of the Jewish people in Iowa. Mr. 
Schrieber was a peddler for many years, and it is probable 
that he was the first Jew to have penetrated the region where 
a few years after flourished the Jewish community of Mc- 
Gregor. It appears that he was a remarkable man among all 
the Jewish pioneers,, particularly so because of his physical 

strength. 

The largest number of Jews, however, were to be found 
around Keokuk, Fort Madison, Buirlington and the entire 
stretch of territo^ry known as the "river front towns." Of 
those who peddled around Keokuk, Mr. S. Gerstle was the 
most noted one. It appears that he was the first Jewish mer- 
chant in Keokuk, and some claim that he was the first pro- 
prietor of a Jewish organization in Iowa. 

In Muscatine the Rothchilds have established themselves, 
and there was laid the foundation of the family of Roth- 
childs in Iowa. But even they appear to have peddled before 
they started up a business in that town, for it appears from a 
statement by their nephew,, Mr. D. Rothchild, oi Davenport, 
that they did not go into business in Iowa before 1856. 



i84 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Burlington at that time sheltered quite a few of the Jewish 
pioneers, but only E. M. Elisfeld and Jacob Epstein appear cq 
have settled down permanently in that town. 

In all, there must have been at the beginning of the year 
1855, not more than one hundred and seventy-five souls in 
Iowa, most of them, however, were in Keokuk. In Sioux 
City, Messrs. Godfrey Hattenbach, Isaac Haas and cue Simon 
laid the foundation for the future Jewry of that flourishing 
city. 

Mr. B. M. Samuels, of Dubuque, another pioneer of that 
old city, was elected to serve the town as alderman, and in the 
same year S. Lesser came to Dubuque and established himself 
as a physician and surgeon. Possibly the latter was the first 
Jewish doctor in this state. 

The following is a list of Jewish names found in the first 
minute book of the first Keokuk organization, which was 
founded in 1855, and it appears that they all must have been 
in this state at least from five to ten years on an average. 

John Blum, Abe Cohen, H. Frees, Simon Hirschstein, Sv 
Gerstle, M. E. Hirsh, L. Hirsh, I. Hoffheimer, Nathan Hoff- 
heimer, Louis Moore, I. Levi, Henry Straus, E. Stern, I. 
Schwabacher and Solomon White. 

Of these most seem to have been single men, and all they 
aimed at in creating a movement to organize themselves was 
to have a benevolent society and a Jewish organization for the 
purpose of raising funds to purchase a cemetery. 



EARLY DAYS OF STATEHOOD 185 

Suffice it to say that but very few of the whole number of 
Iowa Jewish pioneers, who came here as strangers, without a 
language, without a penny, have beeen lost to Judaism, and 
no sooner were they of sufficient number in one locality than 
they commenced to build the foundation for a future Judaism 
upon the soil of Iowa. 



l86 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER XIV. 

STRUGGLES OF FIRST JEWISH ORGANIZATION IN IOWA, 
1855-58. 

First Passover Observed in Iowsl — Benevolent Children of 
Jerusalem — Keokuk Gentiles Contribute to Jewish Society 
— First Mynion in Iowa — Congregation B'nai Israel Found- 
ed — Chassidim and Misnagdim^ — Disagreement — Tempor- 
ary Dissolution of B'nai Israel Congregation. 

The picturesque spot, geographically situated within the 
limits of Iowa, which has been destined for ages to have 
echoed Israel's first prayer in this State to Jehovah his God, 
was named after a self-made Sac herO' whose name was Keo- 
kuk (the watchful fox.) Nature endowed it with all the 
magnificence which make a region desirable and attactive to 
build homes upon, and God blessed it with all the treasures 
which provide the necessities for the support of its inhabitants. 

Keokuk is situated on the "Father of all Rivers," close to 
its confluence with the Des Moines river, at the foot ot the 
Lower Rapids, about two hundred miles above St. Louis : and 
because the head of navigation for large steamers begins be- 
neath the foot of the hill where flourishes Keokuk, the sur- 
name ''Gate City" was added to the fame of that beautiful spot. 



FIRST JEWISH ORGANIZATION 187 

The town was laid out in 1837, and owing to its geograph- 
ical position it soon became an important point and hundreds 
of working men as well as enterprisers flocked to its gates. Its 
name became known througho'Ut the middle west and its im- 
portance reached the ears of rich and poor alike; its in- 
dustry extended far and wide, until, at one time, just at the 
outbreak of hostilities between the North and So'Uth, it 
ranked fourth as a pork packing point in the United States. 

Thus it was but natural for the Jews to flock to that point 
of commerce and industry. Indeed, they have carried along 
but little wealth, but they have brought muscular shoulders 
and Jewish brains with them ; they were well fortified against 
hard work and competition, and therefore, needed but the 
opportunity. 

True, they were but peddlers when they came toi Iowa, 
but, for how long ? No sooner have they been capable of 
naming things and objects in the vernacular than we are met 
with amusing stories, how with but few dollars a business 
was established, a path was created which was destined to 
lead the hard working pioneer to final triumph upon the battle- 
field of existence. 

Aye, they were forced to become peddlers upon their ar- 
rival to this coiuntry, conditions for many centuries kept the 
Jew narrowed down to certain trades or professions and did 
not permit him to spread his facilities over all branches of hu- 
man enterprise. For centuries their ancestors were forced to 
live off the bread which was supplied by other producers, and 
were only permitted to dreami about the vine and the fig-tree, 
about milk and honey. They were not permitted to live in fresh 



i88 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



air; the open expansion of heaven was seen by them through 
iron bars and stone walls of airless, filthy ghettoes; their nar- 
row streets were never covered with a hue of green unless it 
was after a massacre, when blood, brain, marrow and mire 
have mingled together and formed an abcess of green at the 
mouths of the gutters ; the sweet voice of the lark never broke 
through the air of the ghetto, unless, perhaps, it was the scream 
of a babe in the hand of a human beast ready to cast it through 
the window. '; f 1 

But notwithstanding all these, they were in full possession 
of themselves; they were meek, submissive, for ages and 
even that was a part of the secret of their eternity; they sorely 
needed a breath of fresh air, liberty and opportunity and, 
no sooner have their feet brought them into an environment 
where all these were in store for them, than they were once 
more on the road of temporal success. 

It was from Poland — mainly from that portion of Poland 
which now belongs to Russia — that most of the early Jews of 
Keokuk came; they brought along with them hearts 
full of love for the CJtassidic Rabbi, the strongest adherence 
to the severest type of Orthodox Judaism, and an unending 
fidelity to their traditions. But, alas, circumstances forced 
them away from everything so near their very lives; they 
could not observe Orthodoxy, even in its liberal sense, ped- 
dling around as they did; they could not be strict with the 
holy Sabbath, with the dietary laws, with the morning, after- 
noon and evening prayers, etc., even though they put forth all 
their efforts; and being thus dragged away from everything 
sacred, a spirit of a new tendency overtook some while others 



FIRST JEWISH ORGANIZATION 189 

silently regretted their departure from the European ghettoes, 
and more than one would have gladly embraced the scene he 
left behind him rather than remain in the land of the free — all 
on account of his religion, the religion the Jew suffers for and 
derives hope, strength and courage from. 

It was during the Passover of 1855, (5615) that they 
discovered their number, which was, indeed, more than nec- 
essary to constitute a Mynion, (ten Israelites over thirteen 
years of age) and celebrating together the ''Feast o^f Liberty," 
they were once more remnided of Israel's past and a longing 
for a Jewish life overtook them. They came to the conclusion 
that Judaism must be demonstrated in Iowa in the best way 
possible under the circurnstances. And, as it was impossible 
to establish a congregation, to engage the service of a Schoe- 
het, (one skilled in killing beasts and fowl according to Mo- 
saic laws) to build a Mikvah (a water font, in accordance with 
Leviticus, XII-XV) to* purchase a Sepher Torah (Pentatench 
written by a scribe on parchment) and pay rent for a meeting 
place besides, it was decided to organize a charity society, to 
aid the sick and needy and tO' bury the dead, and when possible 
services, according to Minhag Poland, (Ritual of Polish Jews) 
shall be conducted. 

That was the first Passover observed in Iowa by a 
sufficient number of Jews to constitute a Mynion in one town. 

A meeting was called together, at the residence of Mr. S. 
Gerstle, on Sunday, April 29, 1855, with fourteen men in at- 
tendance. Mr. Gerstle was the unanimous choice to preside 
over the first Jewish meeting held in Iowa, and Mr. N. Hoff- 
heimer was appointed secretary pro tern. 



I90 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



"Benevolent Children of Jerusalem'' they named 
themselves, a name characterizing the true spirit of Judaism, a 
name illustrating the zeal of Israel to carry the principles of 
humanity from one end of the globe even unto the other. 

Following is a list of the first officers of the organization : 
S. Gerstle, president; M. E. Hirsh, vice president; N. Hoff- 
heimer, secretary; L. Moore, treasurer. But as Mr. Moore 
at that time was a non-resident of Keokuk his election was an- 
nulled and Mr. Henry Strauss was chosen in his place. 

Committees to find a suitable piece of ground for a ceme- 
tery, to draft a constitution, to advertise about the vicinity 
the existence of the organization and to look for a meeting 
room, were appointed ; and after having brought to life a Jew- 
ish society on the spot where some of the imaginary lost **Ten 
Tribes" of Israel were strolling about for ages, the meeting 
adjourned. 

Now the Angel of Death came as a death-darting messenger 
to visit Keokuk, for a cholera spread its hlack wings and 
brought death upon many people without distinction, and it 
even touched the doorpost of a Jewish habitation. A Jewish 
lady named Mrs. Weil died of the cholera. That was the first 
death on record among the Jews of Iowa. The lady was 
honored by Jew and Gentile alike, and the $30 she willed for 
the benefit of the ''Benevolent Children of Jerusalem" society, 
was accepted with appreciation. 

The society started upon a strenuous career, strict laws 
were enacted and fines imposed upon those who violated them. 
The first one to gain the disfavor of the laws of their society 



FIRST JEWISH ORGANIZATION 191 

was Mr. John Blum, afterwards an active member and officer 
of the society. He failed to appear at the second meeting of 
the organization and was fined twenty-five cents. But the gen- 
tleman appears to have been in possession of a store of ex- 
cuses, for he escaped paying the penalty. 

The society appears to have become prominent at its very 
outstart, for even Gentiles contributed towards its progress. 
Following is a list of Christian gentlemen who donated $33 
to the ''Benevolent Children of Jerusalem:" Ch. Parson, 
$10; D. Agne (?) $5; I. W. Clayton, $2; D. W. Pressel, $3; 
James Cox, $2; S. B. Syer, $1 ; I. Graham, $1 ; E. G. Baldwin, 
$1; I. T. Miller, $1; S. C. Estes, $1; G. W. Sanders, $1; S. 
Geiser, $1 ; R. P. Brill, $1 ; A. W. Scott, $1 ; W. Timberm^an, 
$1; and H. Fulton, $1. 

The first mention of an ^'uptown Jew'' in Iowa is made at 
the time when Mr. E. Straus joined the society; the gentleman 
was one of the leading business men of the town and was a 
native of Bavaria. 

That the spirit of the ghetto was still predominative 
among the early Jews of Iowa is best learned from the 
following incident : A certain Cohen, in a strife — of words — 
with a certain Bachrach called the latter "Verdamter Yud'* 
which was heard by an eye witness, Mr. H. Frees. At the meet- 
ing of the society following the "strife" Mr. Frees made a 
motion to have a fine inflicted upon the Aaronite for cursing 
his brother, the Israelite, instead of the blessing: which he is to 
bestow upon him. 



192 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Mr. Ger stele appears to have known well every character 
of the society, and he refused to entertain the motion, saying : 
"The chair cannot create a precedent to trifle with the tempers 
of the members of our society." 

During Rosh ha-Shanah (New Year) and Yom Kipur 
(Day of Atonement) services were conducted at the house of 
Mr. A. Sinderman, but it appears that they had no Sepher 
Torah, and the portion of the Bible was read out of a printed 
Pentateuch. That was the first holiday observed with prayers 
by a Mynion in Iowa. 

The progress of the "Benevolent Children of Jerusalem" 
during its first half year's existence is described by the secre- 
tary, Mr. N. Hoffheimer, as follows : "Our society was organ- 
ized six months ago with eleven members who pledged them- 
selves to pay dues amounting to $3 annually; three of that 
number left town, but in their stead our membership was in- 
creased by eleven others. Recently two more left Keokuk and 
two others of our membership are non-residents of our midst ; 
thus, our total number is seventeen, fifteen of which are resid- 
ing within the city limits. 

"Total income from all sources . . $84.50 
"Total expenditures for all purposes 10.75 
"Balance in the hands of our treas- 
urer 73.75 

All the officers were re-elected and the semi-annual meet- 
ing was adjourned in a spirit of harmony." 

But the glory of the society as a charitable organization 
was soon at an end; several active members who joined the 
organization during the fall of that year started a movement 



FIRST JEWISH ORGANIZATION 193 

to change the name, adopt a new constitution and make a con- 
gregation out of it. And, at a meeting held November 25, 
1855, the reorganizers carried every point and a congregation 
named Bnia Israel was called into existence. L. Eppinger 
was chosen president and John Blum vice president of the 
newly organized congregation; committees to obtain a charter 
, to rent headquarters, etc., were appointed and the new organ- 
ization commenced on its career. 

When a cemetery was bought, a congregation organized, 
and services held, Mr. S. Gerstle introduced a project to bring 
a Schochet and commence to live a Jewish life in reality. The 
movement was favorable to most of the members, but, as it 
appears, habit has withdrawn the genuine Jewishness from 
those pioneers, and the attempt failed. But surely not because 
of any radical tendencies. They came to Iowa singly, each 
one having carried a heavy pack and fathomed the depths of 
Iowa prairies for a number of years; they were still too young 
when they left their surroundings in Europe to realize the im- 
portance of any idea sacred to human kind, and when fate 
brought them together they had to start everything from the 
bottom. 

Soon, however, geographical differences brought about in- 
ternal disruption and the difficulties, singular at the forma- 
tion of Jewish congregations in this country, seized also the 
very first Jewish community in Iowa. And every minute- 
book of every one of the older Jewish congregations in this 
country is filled with similar instances, and one account covers 
the whole field of that particular branch of American- Jewish 
history. 



194 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



It was during the years 1856-57, that the Keokuk Jewry 
was reinforced by a few Jewish famihes of Western Europe, 
who were neither of the adherents of the Baalshem nor of 
Ehjah of Vilna; they were far from Chassidism and still 
further from Talmudical literature. They were Germans 
(Ashkenazim) following to a certain degree the Mendelssoh- 
nian precepts of Judaism. They were more cultured in world- 
ly affairs that their Polish brethren, and refused to be com- 
promising. Hitherto the Minhag Poland, largely of a Chas- 
sidic trend, was followed by the congregation Bnai Israel, but 
when the Ashkenazim came and with their superiority in man- 
nerism and, probably wealth, they put forth a persistent ef- 
fort to install the Minhag Ashkenas in the services of the con- 
gregation. The matter became the question of the hour ; one 
set of officers resigned (January 4, 1857) and many stormy 
scenes were witnessed, but finally the Chassidic element yield- 
ed before the sacred decision of a majority. 

But it appears that the factions could not well exist to- 
gether and, despite the hrad work of the few to 
whose hearts Judaism was most near, no progress was 
made; they had neither engaged the services of a minister 
nor bought a Sepher Torah prior to the reorganization which 
took place in September 27, 1863. 

Mr. Vogel succeeded to the presidency after Mr. Eppinger 
resigned, and for a time things looked very cheerful, but soon 
the congregation commenced to lose ground and its doom was 
predicted by the few who best knew its inside. Several of the 
charter members moved away, some of the wealthiest ones 
stepped out and the difficulties became greater. 



FIRST JEWISH ORGANIZATION 195 

The last president of the congregation prior to its re-estab- 
Hshment was Sam Rauh who appears to have been the Mashkil 
of the community, but even he could not bring about the unity 
upon which rests the welfare of an organization, and after the 
holidays of 1858, it was decided to collect no more dues, and 
that was practically the last meeting held under the auspices 
of the first members of that congregation. 
Among the business men were most conspicuous the names of 
Vogel, Straus, Rauh, Eppinger, Hirsh and Younker. The 
latter, although at that time beginners, grew mighty and in- 
fluential in Iowa as mercantile princes. 

All other Jews who made their headquarters in Keokuk 
were peddling through that section of the state and many of 
those peddlers, after accumulating handsome fortunes, were 
scattered throughout the state and some of them even far be- 
yond its boundaries. 

It also appears that at the outbreak of the Civil War and a 
couple of years prior thereto most of the polish Jews had re- 
moved from Iowa, some went to New York and other East- 
ern points, and others to New Orleans and the South. 

But the community was in its first stage of develop- 
ment and its golden period was yet to come. 



196 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER XV 

JEWS BECOME POTENT FACTORS IN IOWA PRIOR TO CIVIL WAR^ 

1854-1861. 

Signs of Prosperity Among Jewish Pioneers — Peddling a 
School of Experience — Early Settlers of Davenport — Ar- 
rival of Moses Bloom to Iowa — Burlingtin Center of Ped- 
dlers — List of Jewish Merchants, Artisans and Professional 
Men in Iowa Prior to 1861. 

In the process of but one decade after the first Jewish ped- 
dler touched Iowa's fertile soil it came to pass that the influ- 
ence of the Jew was felt in every important community of this 
state, and whatever progress Iowa could boast of a goodly 
bulk thereof was fathered by Jewish brains. The ''strange 
human being" who came to penetrate Iowa's prairies and fath- 
om its marshes on the pursuit of his share of good of this 
world, commenced to disappear in but a comparatively short 
while after he made his trip westward, and, instead, a vigorous 
merchant laid an unshakable foundation for a durable career 
which was destined to- become the wonder of generations. 

After acquiring the necessary information regarding the 
existing conditions of the large majorities of the masses, after 
thoroughly acquainting himself with their wants, demands 
and modes of life, after gaining their friendship, confidence 



BECOME POTENT FACTORS 197 

and patronage, the Jewish pioneer shattered the yoke of the 
pack from his shoulders, and, with what little savings he 
could gather at his disposal, he started to^ climb the ladder to^ 
ward the summit oi commercialism. 

Peddling in general among the Jews of this country, was 
an acknowledged school of experience, and no^ sooner did the 
peddler feel himself adequately fitted out with the much want- 
ed store of information and experience than he was at the 
head of some establishment doing business with his newly 
made friends. Nearly all Iowa Jewish pioneers had one and 
the same school of experience and, with but a very limited 
exception, it has proved very helpful to all of them. Far 
above all they were sorely in want of, was the ability tO' name 
things and objects in the vernacular of the country, the chance 
to familiarize themselves with the economical condition of the 
section their feet brought them to. Seeing the products of the 
farmer, the stock, the size of the various crops certain sections 
yielded, and hearing the peasants calling everything by name, 
the wanderers derived the double benefit from their very dis- 
agreeable vocation. Thus, by resoirting tO' the very foot oi For- 
tune's ladder, they have fortified their carreers against ignor- 
ance and posted themselves in everything helpful to keep a 
business man on the right path. 

Peddling, however, was not born of Jewish ingenuity as 
is universally believed in this country; instead it must be at- 
tributed to the disadvantageous conditions of the pioneer 
days of this country. The very early ruralists, living scatter- 
ed about, could not maintain close to them stores of necessary 
supplies, neither was there an abundance of prosperous mer- 



198 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



chants ready to establish such stores wherever needed, and, as 
the means of transportation were as poor as possible, a demand 
was created for movable stores which wxre carried about the 
country in stages, and the first small dealer who could not fit 
himself out with a stage was compelled to carry his goods afoot 
— and he was the first peddler on this continent. The early Jews 
on the other hand, as has been shown in the preceeding chap- 
ters of this work, were the leading merchants of New York 
and Newport and the poorer class of Jewish immigrants re- 
sorted tO' farming and, surely not before the dawn of the Nine- 
teenth Century did the Jew appear with a pack upon his shoul- 
ders asking the patronage of the American farmer. The dis- 
appointment oif the majority of the German Jews, after the first 
quarter of the last century elapsed and no equalization was in 
sight for them, brought a large influx of the more oppressed of 
the German Jewries, and, as not all of them were men of 
means, peddling was mostly embraced as an opportunity to 
become a merchant. After the lapse of two score and ten more 
years, when the Russian czar debarred the Jew from e\^ery 
opportunity, the Jewries of that country, too, sent forth tens of 
thousands of the most poverty-stricken among them and the 
latter inherited the pack with the broad straps from their 
German brethren. 

Today the Jewish peddler is a rarity on American fields, 
even the Russian and Polish Jew has no need for such yoke 
any longer, and it is very safe to predict that the next decade 
of years will also remove the push-cart, the characteristic sec- 
ond-hand shop and the rag picker, for all these have not come 
to stay, they ^ire existing for the sake of bread for large fam- 



BECOME POTENT FACTORS igg 

ilies of little ones and as soon as the latter grow up, the father 
will no longer need to fall back to the very bottom of poverty 
for a living. The early Jewish peddlers of Iowa who subse- 
quently became the commercial princes of this state are a fair 
specimen of what the peddler is after he removes the burden 
from off his shoiilders. 

The foundation of everything good which this state was 
to derive from the brain and muscle of its Jewish pioneers 
was laid prior to the Civil War ; for, almost every name which 
was destined to become illustrious in the history of the Iowa 
Jews was to be found in some obscure nook among the small 
merchants or even among the hard-working peddlers. . The 
Jew in this state has witnessed the upbuilding of every im- 
portant city and with his thriftiness and ingenious 
commercial spirit he might justly be called the founder 
of commerce in Iowa. The large department stores, the great 
wholesale houses, the vast sums of money invested in manu- 
facturing merchandise, made the cities in Iowa what they are, 
that is the finest in all the states beyond the Missouri river, 
and surely the Jew was at the front of Iowa's commer- 
cial enterprises from the very day Dubuque was founded and 
opened for civilization. 

Davenport was the next important point to attract some 
of the greatest Jewish pioneers of the northwest ; thither have 
flocked mostly German Jews and there, among their country- 
men — for that city was populated by Germans from its very 
inception — they have invested everything available in them 
and helped to build up what is now the Free Tozvn of Iowa. 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Besides Robert Krouse and Henry Abel, who were the 
first Jews in Davenport, the following is a complete list of all 
the Jewish pioneers of that city who had the good fortune to 
contribute a goodly portion to its vivacity prior to the out- 
break of the Civil War: Michael Raphael, John Ochs, Louis 
A. Ochs, Lippen Ochs, M. Feder, Alex Feder — Pritz and Stein. 
Most of them came to Davenpo-rt in 1854, when it was yet a 
small village with but scarcely five hundred inhabitants, but it 
was not very long before the future of that solitary spot on 
the brink of the Mississippi commenced to show signs of vigor- 
ous vitality and the very few Jews played an important role 
in its initial steps to further its golden career. M. Raphael 
and John Ochs, however, were the most conspicuous ones 
among the few and, with their respective abilities, have infus- 
ed life and brought about many changes for the better in the' 
affairs of Davenport. M. Feder appears to have been the 
most scholarly Jewish pioneer in Davenport and he enjoyed 
the remarkable distinction of becoming the first Jewish minis- 
ter in Iowa, for, when the Davenport Jewery decided to or- 
ganize a congregation he was appointed to be their spiritual 
guide. John Ochs was the first real estate dealer among the 
Jews beyond the Missouri river and subsequently his was the 
largest land agency in Iowa, a full account of which is given in 
the chapters dealing with the Davenport Jewry. M. Raphael 
was the first wholesale dealer among the Jews in Iowa, and al- 
so the first paymaster of the Northwestern railroad in Iowa 
which was undoubtedly the first office of that kind ever held 
by a Jew in the Northwest. 



BECOME POTENT FACTORS 



The year 1854, in the history of the Jews of Iowa, was 
marked with the appearance of Moses Bloom upon the Iowa 
prairies, for he came to this state as a peddler. He located 
himself in Iowa City, where he became wealthy, beloved and 
famous. He was the first Jew in the northwest to start a ca- 
reer as a peddler after he had grown to manhood and become a 
leader in state and national politics. A full accoimt of his ad- 
ventures is given in the chapter dealing with the Jews in Iowa 
citizenship. 

Glenwood, Mills county, was another spot which was des- 
tined to become famous in the history of the Jews of Iowa, 
thither have come I. and F. Heinsheimer, uncles of D. L. 
Heinsheimer, the noted financier and republican politician, an 
account of whom is also given in the above quoted chapter. 

Hence it is an obvious fact that most of those Jews who 
have subsequently become leading factors in the affairs of 
this state have settled in Iowa during the early days and like 
unto their Gentile brethren assisted in the making of Iowa. 

The somewhat important events among the Jewish com- 
munities of Iowa who could boast of having a sufficient num- 
ber to constitute a Mynion sum up as follows : 

The first religious services conducted in Dubuque, Iowa, 
were held during the Passover of 1862, Mr. A. Levi being the 
projector of the movement, and that community could pride it- 
self on being' the first one in this state to have bought a Sepher 
Torah. 

* Iowa City was the cradle of one of the most prominent Jewish citizens of New York 
state. Mr. Simon Fleishman, president ot the Buffalo Board of Councilmen and president 
of the Erie Connty Bar Association, was born in Iowa City, September i, 1S59. His father, 
Emanuel Fleishman, was the first Jew in that town, and was prominent as a merchant for 
many years. At the outbreak of the civil war he removed to Adel and thence to the East. 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Burlington was distinguished in having been headquarters 
for the largest number of peddlers, which, in addition to its 
Jewish merchants and artisans, made it the largest Jewish com- 
munity in this state, but, it seems that the Burlington Jewry 
commenced to be particularly noted for its irreligiousness, and 
no congregation was organized there prior to 1873. 

Des Moines, which is now sheltering the largest Jewry 
in Iowa, had probably fifteen Jewish souls prior to the Civil 
War, and neither any form of organization nor special event 
can be accredited to^ it prior to 1868. 

Davenport Jew^s celebrated the holidays of the year i860, 
and it was during those holidays that a movement to organize 
a congregation and purchase a cemetery became current among 
them. 

McGregor which was subsequently a little ghetto in itself 
for almost a score of years could not boast of a single Jewish 
inhabitant prior to i860. 

But notwithstanding the slow progress of Judaism in Iowa, 
the Jews could well pride themselves in what they did ac- 
complish during the comparatively short period of their so- 
journ in the different localities; for, notwithstanding their 
small number which did not exceed five hundred souls, they 
were conspicuous in the mercantile business from one end of 
the state even unto the other. The following table collate-^ 
after gathering data from numerous old newspapers, county 
histories and communications of pioneers, speaks volumes 
for the progress of the Jews in Iowa prior to the Civil War 
and throws many rays of light upon the development of the 
several Jewries now existing in this state. 



BECOME POTENT FACTORS 203 



ADEL. 

J. R Fleishman Clothing 

BONAPART. 

Benjamin Blum Dry Goods 

Simon Freidman Clothing 

BOONE. 

Sol Kuh Genera] Store 

Raphael Greenbaum Gents' Furnishing 

William Lobenstein Gents' Furnishing 

BLOOMFIELD. 

Abraham Hart Clothing 

BRIGHTON. 

Israel Freind Clothing 

BURLINGTON 

Greenbaumi Shroeder & Co^ Clothing 

S. Kohn Dry Goods 

Joseph Buchman . Furnishing 

S. Adler & Bro Clothing 

E. M. Eisfeld Clothing 

Joseph Lehman & Bro Dry Goods 

A. Kaiser Ladies' Goods 

Jacob Rosenthal Clothing 

Solomon Hershler Dry Goods 

Ben and Sig Eisicles Clothing 

Jacob Epstein Dry Goods 

BURR OAK. 

Frank & Friedman Clothing 



204 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CEDAR FALLS. 

M. Frank Clothing 

Henry C. Cohen Dry Goods 

Solomon Geisman Clothing 

L. Ellman Clothing 

CEDAR RAPIDS. 

D. L. Fidler Merchant Tailor 

L. Lobenstein Merchant Tailor 

CLIFTON. 

Rothschild & Co Dry Goods 

CLINTON. 

Nathan Hess Clothing 

David Stern Clothing 

G. Weiner ,. General Store 

COUNCIL BLUFFS. 

Sol Bloom Clothing 

A. B. Bernard Dry Goods 

Henry E. Eisman Dry Goods 

DAVENPORT. 

Raphael & Feder Clothing 

I. Fleishman Clothing 

Samuel Heinsfurter i. . Dry Goods 

S. K. Stone Clothing 

Tohn Ochs Real Estate 

Robert Krouse Clothing 

Joseph Levy Dry Goods 

Leopold Lowenstein Clothing 

Haas & Meyer Wholesale Dry Goods 

Abraham Straus Clothing 

Nathan Billstein Dry Goods 

Alex Lederer Dry Goods 

Solomon Hersgberg Dry Goods 

G. Rosenberger Watch Maker 



BECOME POTENT FACTORS 205 

DES MOINES. 

H3rmon Herzberg .......... ...... Clothing 

Joseph Kuhn Dry Goods and Clothing 

Isaac Kuhn ........ Dry Goods and Clothing 

Jacobs & Weissman Dry Goods 

Nathan Goldstone Clothing 

Theodore Wolf General Store 

Leopold Simon Clothing 

Leopold Straus Clothing 

DE WITT. 

A. Bloom . ., General Store 

DUBUQUE. 

A. Levi Lead Miner 

Abraham Grunwald Clothing 

James Levy ,....,.. Dry Goods 

Moses Leppman Clothing 

L. & B. Rauh ...... Clothing and Furnishing 

L D. Weil Clothing 

Charles Brezinsky General Store 

FORT DODGE. 

L. M. Baum Clothing 

C. C. Smeltzer Clothing 

FRANKLIN CENTER. 

Jacob Weber Tailor 

GLENWOOD. 

L & F. Hensheimer Clothing 

J. Solomon Real Estate 



2o6 THE JEWS OF IOWA. 



IOWA CITY. 

Moses Bloom Dry Goods and Clothing 

Rothschild & Co. (branch) Clothing 

KEOKUK. 

Younker Bros Dry Goods and Clothing 

J. & I. Spiesberger Dry Goods 

Simon Frank & Co Clothing 

L. Solomon Clothing 

Raphael Vogel Clothing 

Adolph Weissman Physician 

Jacobs & Weissman (branch) Clothing 

ST. CLAIRE. 

Wm. Newman Fancy Goods 

Henry Rotschild Saloon 

LANSING. 

Freind & Risen Clothing 

F. W. Hahn & Co Clothing 

LYON CITY. 

Julius Bernstein Clothing 

MARSHALLTOWN. 

M. Rosenbaum Variety Store 

M. Stern Clothing 

MUSCATINE. 

Morris Kahn Commission Merchants 

M. & D. Block Clothing 

Leopold Wintner Commission Merchant 

Silverman Bros Clothing 

Jacob Oppenheimer Qothing 



BECOME POTENT FACTORS 207 

MARENGO. 

Abraham & Leopold Shauerman . General Store 

OSKALOOSA. 

J. A. Abram China and Glass 

I. Frankel Dry Goods and Clothing 

L. Levi Clothing 

Emanuel Bach Dry Goods and Clothing 

OTTUMWA. 

Jacob Kohn Clothing 

ROCHESTER. 

Abraham Izenhart Dentist 

8ABULA. 

Lichtenstein & Guttle General Store 

SIOUX CITY. 

L Haas Dry Goods 

WAVERLY. 

L. Geisman Clothing 

A. Israel Clothing 

Isaac Tobias General Store 

WASHINGTON. 

Leon Meyer . . Dry Goods 

Silverman & Co Clothing 



2o8 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Thus it is gleaned that the Jews were represented in thirty- 
five different twvns geographically situated in every latitude 
and longitude of the state, that they were the most important 
element in the mercantile business of Iowa and that nothwith- 
standing their scattered position and small number they have 
been potent factors in the affairs of Iowa wherever they 
chanced to establish themselves. 

The above table also shows that the first Jewish tailor 
was settled in Cedar Rapids, the first Jewish watch maker in 
Davenport and the first Jewish dentist in Rochester. 

Of those who were considered among the wealthiest of the 
merchants were: the Rothschilds, Jacobs & Weismann, Hess 
& Stern, Levi of Dubuque, Kuhns of Des Moines, Bloom of 
Iowa City and the Heinsheimers, albeit all other Jewish busi- 
ness men were considered well off. 

Soon, however, the rigor of bloody war struck this state 
with its unavoidable plagues and a general change took place 
in the Iowa Jewries from the day hostilities broke out within 
the boundaries of the United States. 



BECOME POTENT FACTORS 209 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE JEWS OF IOWA IN WAR TIME, 1861-1865. 

The Jew in War — Jewish Patriotism! Displayed During Civil 
War — List of Iowa Jewish Soldiers — Davenport Jews Es- 
tabhsh a Congregation — First Schochet in Iowa — Short 
Career of First Congregation — Bnai Israel of Keokuk Re- 
vives — Inaugurate Novel Orthodox Custom — Services for 
Lincoln. 

The American Jew with his undaunted courage and zeal- 
ous patriotismi exhibited during the Civil War, whether sac- 
rificing his life upon the battlefield to liberate the enslaved, 
or championing the right of property in slaves together with 
his neighbors of the South, has redeemed himself and exon- 
erated his entire race from the malignant accusations hurled up- 
on the heads of his people by countless enemies for countless 
generations. The minute the first stream of crimson, flowing 
from a wounded soldier of the Jewish faith, reddened some 
spot of Americans soil, the charge of being, habitually or nat- 
urally, plagued with cowardliness could no longer be laid at 
the door of a Jewish home ; and the day, the greatest American 
Jew of his age, Judah P. Benjamin, accepted a position in the 
cabinet of Jefferson Davis, the assertion that the Jew never as- 
similates, or as Rennan, the historian has it, "never becomes a 
citizen of any land," received its death blow. 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



The Southern Jew, enlisting in the Confederate army, 
knew that his bullet will probably pluck off the head of a Jew- 
ish father fighting for the North, he also knew that slavery in 
itself is wholly anti-Jewish, and, yet, how cheerfully did he 
submit his very life to fight the cause of his Southern neigh- 
bor! He lived there, assimilated himself with the ideas and sen- 
timents of the people and he himself became like one of them, 
and every one of his efforts was certainly sincere. 

Judah P. Benjamin was indeed a great man — "the brain of 
the Confederacy," as he was justly styled — his speech on 'The 
Property Doctrine," delivered in the United States Senate 
March ii, 1858, will unquestionably outlive any anti-Semitic 
agitation; he was loved and admired by all the Jews the woild 
over, nevertheless, should he even have tried it, he could not 
have changed the idea of even a single Northern Jew on the 
slavery question. Nor could any prominent Northern Jew, 
even though he were the greatest rabbi of the country, alter the 
determination of the Southern Jew. In their patriotic efforts 
the Jews, if only an opportunity is given them, act mdependent- 
ly, and no power under the sun, unless it be their own convic- 
tion, is strong enough to bring about a transition of senti- 
ments within their hearts. 

True, ''Jew fighting against Jew," was the tragedy of Is- 
rael since he was scattered in all the four corners of the globe, 
but in those cases, he was compelled to die because there was 
no chance of life for him, he was forced to go to war because 
no peace was left for him and, what could he do if his' brother 
in another such land was smitten by the self-same hand of a 
cruel fate! But the Jew of the North in fighting his brother 



JEWS IN WAR TIME 



of the South and vice versa, has had the opportunity, for the 
first time in the history of his exile, to demonstrate the fact 
that to him the love for his country, whether adapted or na- 
tive, is even stronger than the love for his people. 

The Jews of Iowa, as has been shown in the preceding 
chapter, have not numbered above five hundred souls, five- 
sixths of whomi were possibly not of military age, and yet, how 
glad have the young and able-bodied ones anion gf themi flocked 
to the headquarters and offered themselves for service ! How 
cheerfuJ appears the record of one Leopold Rosenberg, of 
Davenport, who offered himself for the preservation of the 
Union, and he had to be rejected from the 8th Iowa Infantry 
because of his tender age ! How gladdened is the heart of the 
patriotic American Jew tO' find on record the name of a soldier, 
sounding wholly Jewish, who was thirty-eight years old when 
he enlisted and had the honor of receiving a scar on the battle- 
field of Shiloh! There was even such a one among the Jews, 
of Iowa whose name is Lewis Solomon and who yet lives 
(1904) in Keokuk. How patriotic of one to forsake a splen- 
did business establishment and despite many other hindrances, 
take up arms and fight for the sake of liberating the enslaved, 
and receive a wound at the battle of Pleasant Hill ! The very 
few Iowa Jews produced of among them even such a one, his 
name was C. W. Schreiber of the firm of Schreiber & Strinsky, 
Dubuque. ; 

Those who' could not — there positively were none who 
would not — go to the front for various good reasons, displayed 
their patriotism in contributing most liberally to the war fund. 
Some even went beyond the limit of their purse in taxing 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



themselves ■ toward the maintenance of the Iowa regiments, 
and all the county histories particularly those of Dubuque, 
Des Moine?, Johnson, Lee, ]Mills, Pottawattamie, Polk, Scott 
and Woodbury counties, bear witness that every merchant 
bearing a Jewish name was the most liberal contributor to the 
war fund, the contributions ranging from $25 and upward. 
Moses Bloom, of Iowa City, was probably the most liberal con- 
tributor among the Jews of Iowa, judging his ver>' limited 
means in those days. 




M. RAPHAEL 



The most popular Jew in Iowa during the war was Mich- 
ael Raphael of Davenport, who had the distinction of being 
appointed Horse Inspector by the Federal Government. Mr. 
Raphael was born in Oberslessing, Prussia, in 1837, and 
when but a mere youth of sixteen he left his native land and 
came to seek his fortune in Davenport during the spring of 
1853. He became a peddler, penetrating the newly broken 
territories of Iowa for almost four years, at the end of which 



JE^\S IN WAR TIME 213 



he had accumulated a small fortune sufficient to see himself 
established in business. Prosperity visited his door, and soon 
he became a partner to the wholesale grocery establishment of 
Brown, Feder & Raphael, besides horse trading, which he had 
as a side issue. When the war broke out he was one of the 
leading citizens of Davenport and his honesty, sound judgment 
and extensive acquaintance made his way clear to receive a 
government appointment. As a government servant he was 
mO'St distinguished, and as his was the first Federal office held 
by a Jew in Iowa, he certainly honored himself and his des- 
cendants with the unirnpeachable record he made during his 
connection with the government. 

Of those Jews who have enlisted and gone to the front the 
following account has been collated from: different county his- 
tories, from records at the office of the Iowa Adjutant-General 
and from oral narrations of Jewish pioneers living in different 
sections of this state, and whatever light possible to throw 
upon this subject was obtained while personally traveling 
through Iowa in search of data for this work. 
FIRST INFANTRY. 

The first Jewish youths who were seized by the fever of 
war were the brothers Henry and Theobald Klein ; they served 
in Company D, of this regiment from May 12, 1861, till the 
expiration of their term. 

SECOND INFANTRY. 

Henry Straus enlisted in Company A, May 4, 1861, which 
practically makes him the first Jewish soldier of Iowa ; he sacri- 
ficed his life upon the battlefield, having received fatal wounds 
during a skirmish. He died July 10, 1863. 



214 THE JEWS OF IOWA. 



Joseph Meyers enlisted May 28, 1861, in Company C, of 
this regiment and he also met with j. heroic death duiin-^ the 
battle of Fort Donnelson. 

Henry Krouse served also in the same regiment, but he 
was mustered out of service, unblemished, at the expiration of 
his term. Mr. Krouse was thirty- six years old when he en- 
listed. 

SECOND CAVALRY. 

William Krouse enlisted in Company H, August 30, 1862, 
and distinguished himself in many fierce cavarly charges and 
bad the fortune to return without a scar at the end of his term. 

THIRD INFANTRY. 

John A. Levin, the only Jewish engineer in Iowa prior to 

the Civil War, enlisted in this regiment and was of good 

siervice. 

FOURTH INFANTRY 

This regiment had a distinguished Jewish soldier, who en- 
hsted in Company D, at the age of thirty-eight. His name was 
Lewis Solomon, of Keokuk. Mr. Solomon was wounded at 
the battle of Pine Ridge and subsequently discharged for dis- 
ability. He returned to Keokuk, where he has been a leading 
factor in the Jewry of that town ever since, and even now 
(1904) is enjoying good health. 

SIXTH CAVALRY. 

A. Glazer, trumpeter, enlisted in Company C of this regi- 
ment and it appears that he was promoted to some official 
charge and was left in the South. 

Samuel Levinstein served in Company G, and was mus- 
tered out of service at the expiration of his term, when he re- 
turned to Iowa. 



JEWS IN WAR TIME 215 



SEVENTH INFANTRY. 

Charles Bloom enlisted in Company H of this regiment 
and was at the front oi the battle of Belmont defying 
death for almost a whole day ; after being fatigued he was sud- 
denly struck down and fell dead on an advanced spot near 
the enemy. 

EIGHTH INFANTRY. 

Henry Shauerman enlisted in Company I of this regiment 
at Davenport, and returned without a scar at the expiration of 
his term. 

NINTH INFANTRY. 

Joseph and Fred , Levy (not related) have served with 
marked credit in Company I of this regiment, and it appears 
that both remained in the South after they were mustered out 
of service. 

TENTH INFANTRY. 

In Company C, Henry Levin enlisted during the year 1S62, 
at Burlington; simultaneoiisly Joseph Glasser enlisted at Dav- 
enport in Company E of this regiment. Both returned unhurt 
to Iowa. 

FOURTEENTH INFANTRY 

One Jewish soldier, named William, Hershberger, served 
in Company B of this regiment. He was mustered out of serv- 
ice at the expiration of his term;. 



2i6 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



FIFTEENTH INFANTRY. 

A youth who had lately come from that part of Poland 
which belongs to Germany, therefore giving his nationality as 
German, enlisted at Keokuk in Company D of this regiment; 
his name was Jacob Goodman, and for bravery he is to be 
praised second to none of his regiment; for, during the battle 
of Corinth, after having been once wounded, he was persistent 
in renewing his attacks upon the enemy and not until he fell 
again with a fatal wound did he retire from the battlefield. 
He died June 12, 1862. 

SIXTEENTH INFANTRY. 

In this regiment, which so bravely distinguished itself 
during the battle of Shiloh, (i) have served the following 
Jewish soldiers : 

Company B: Jacob Jacobson, enlisted December 3, 1861, 
was wounded at the battle of Shiloh. Charles Weissman, en- 
listed December 18, 1861, was promoted commissary sergeant 
November 24, 1862. 

Company D : Abraham Meyers, enlisted December 20, 
1 861, participated in Shiloh battle with marked courage; 
Jacob Lehman, enlisted December 17, 1861, was wounded at 
the battle of Shiloh. 

SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY. 

The only Jew in this regiment was W. Davidson, who en- 
listed March 2, 1862, and was taken prisoner at Tilton. Ga. 
He returned to Iowa at the conclusion of the war. 

(i) "Commenting upon the result of the Shiloh battle the Weekly North Iowa Times 
of May 14, 1862, has the following: "Beauregard calls the recent battlefield 'Shiloh.' We 
presume that his Secretary of State, Jubah P. Benjamin, will abdicate now, for the pro. 
phecy of the patriarch, Jacob, that the sceptre shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh come." 



JEWS IN WAR TIME 217 



TWENTY-SECOND INFANTRY. 

Charles Abel enlisted August 9, 1862, in Company F, and 
Fred Bloom enlisted the same date in Company G of this reg- 
iment. They were mustered out of service at the expiration 
of their term. 

TWENTY-FIFTH INFANTRY. 

In this regiment Jacob Kline enlisted in Company D, July 
21, 1862, and G. Levi in Company G during the same month. 

TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY. 

A. Meyers enlisted in Company E, August 22, 1862; D. 
Metzger enlisted in the same Company August 13. In Com- 
pany H, of this regiment, William Marks enlisted August 9, 
of that year and was killed on the battlefield of Arkansas Post 
June II, 1863. 

TWENTY-SEVENTH INFANTRY. 

C. W. Schreiber, a wealthy iron dealer of Dubuque, and a 
middle-aged man, left every other care behind him and enlist- 
ed in Company C of this regiment. He saw actual war and 
came out victorious during many engagements, but was wound- 
ed during the battle of Pleasant Hill. 

THIRTY-FIRST INFANTRY. 

Nathan Click and Jacob Glaser enlisted in Company F of 
this regiment, and were mustered out at the expiration of 
their term. 



2i8 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



THIRTY-SECOND INFANTRY. 

Henry Vogel, of Keokuk, enlisted in Company C of this 
regiment, August ii, 1862, and served with distinction. He 
returned home unhurt and continued as a prominent figure in 
Jewish circles for many years. 

THIRTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 

In Company G, John K. Fidler enlisted during 1862; 
he returned to Iowa at the expiration of his term. 

THIRTY-FIFTH INFANTRY. 

Jacob Block enlisted in Company C, August 20, 1862, and 
Jacob Hess enlisted in the same Company two days later. They 
were both mustered out of service at the end of their term, 
which was one hundred days. 

FORTIETH INFANTRY. 

In Company K, L. Isaacson enlisted during the latter part 
of 1862, and he also returned to Iowa at the end of one hun- 
dred days. 

Nearly all of the above names have been verified, and it is, 
therefore, certain that not less than the above number of the 
Jews of Iowa offered their service to free the slaves; but it is 
very probable that even a greater number of Jews than this 
could be found among the Iowa regiments, for, many names 
sounding very Jewish appear upon the records, but, because 
they could not be identified they had to be left out. However, 
suffice it to say that although the number of Jews in Iowa 



JEWS IN WAR TIME 



prior to the Civil War was very insignificant, and although 
their quota could not have been very large, the Jews have, 
nevertheless, proved themselves equal, if not sup erior, in pa- 
trioism, at home and upon the battlefield, to any foreign class 
which has inhabited Iowa during those perilous days. They 
were, indeed, equal to the Germans, whose countrymen most 
of themi were, in every patriotic effort to show their affection, 
love and integrity for their adopted country. 

Meantime the number of Jewish population in Iowa began 
to increase — the flow of immigration mostly being from Mis- 
souri and the South — and soon new communities sprang 
forth. Davenport was the first one in line to make forward 
strides in Jewish directions, and, as the human being during 
the time of a crisis looks more frequent toward his Maker 
than when everything appears to be tranquil, little hesitation 
was wasted before a Jewish congregation was called into ex- 
istence by the Jews of Davenport. The first meeting, held 
December 7, 1861, decided to name the congregation Bnai 
Israel, to conduct it upon Orthodox principles, to purchase a 
cemetery and engage a Scochet and Hebrew teacher. They 
entered upon a successful career from the very inception of 
their congregation, and it was not very long before its in- 
fluence was felt even across the Mississippi, at Rock Island, 
Illinois. The Father of all Rivers never created a difference 
between the Jews of Iowa and the Jews of Illinois, excepting 
that the latter always had to follow the former. 

The first officers of the congregation Bnai Israel of Dav- 
enport were: Isaac Bernis, president; A. Straus, vice pres- 
ident; L. Lowenstein, treasurer, and S. Berlosheimer, secre- 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



tary. The proceedings and minutes were all in German, and 
the spirit of culture and refinement which marked the con- 
duct of the newly organized congregation is as yet easily dis- 
cerned. Above all Mr. Bernis appears to have been very 
intelligent if not quite a scholar. 

On March 3, 1862, an important meeting was held — the 
most important yet held by Jews in Iowa, and Rev. H. Low- 
enthol was elected to serve the congregation Bnai Israel as 
Chazen, Schocket and M'lamod, (teacher.) He was to at- 
tend to slaughtering cattle twice a week during the summer 
and three times a week during the winter, to teach six hours 
per day, four days out of every week in the year and to of- 
ficiate as reader whenever services were held by the congre- 
gation; for all that he was voted a salary of $350 per annum! 
How much does this innocent account of forty-two years ago 
tell of the progress every branch of the human family has 
made ! Can any pessimist, always predicting ruin and despair 
for the future, always telling of the great chances that now 
rest in the dead past, constantly speaking of bygone oppor- 
tunities and finding nothing in this world to live for today, face 
this dry fact without being amazed? For three hundred and 
fifty dollars did a man of unquestionable ability hire himself 
out to work 'as a public servant and yet he apparently, was 
happy at the opportunity ! Time, thou art indeed the master of 
wonders! 

T!ic following is complete list of tie charter mem- 
bers of congregation Bnai Israel of Davenport : Isaac 
Bernis, A. Straus, L. Lowenstein, L. Blatt, S. Heins- 
furter, M. Billstone, H. Aaron, S. Berolsheimer, I. Fleish- 



JEWS IN WAR TIME 



man, M. Feder, John Ochs, M. H. Heidenheimer, M. Raphael, 
G. Rosenberg, Henry Zimmerman, I. Oberndorfer, L. Wolf, 
M. Diesenberg*. 

But like the first congregation in Keokuk, the Bnai Israel 
of Davenport seems to have sunk into obHvion for almost 
twelve years, for no meetings were held, or at least no record 
was preserved, between then and September 6, 1874. 

The war also witnessed the resurrection of the Keokuk 
congregation, and this time it was to^ stay and become a source 
of religious strength for all the Jews who' have ever since 
deigned to locate in that beautiful town. And, it seems, that 
before the sun of the Bnai Israel of Davenport was set, the 
sunrise of the Bnai Israel of Keokuk was marked. 

On September 2y, 1863, a meeting tO' reorganize the con- 
gregation of Keokuk took place, and those who came to its 
rescue have indeed played an important part in the course of 
events among the Jews of Iowa. 

Lewis Solomon, with a fresh wo'und received at the battle 
of Pine Ridge, volunteered to keep the records of the congre- 
gation, and men such as L. M. Younker, Manassa Younker, 
Marcus Younker, Samuel Younker and R. Vogel joined the 
ranks and took up the task of making a success of what oth- 
ers have made a failure. An election was held and the first 
officers oif the reorganized Bnai Israel of Keokuk were : R. 
Vogel, president; L. M. Younker, vice president; Samuel 
Kline, treasurer; L. Solomon, secretary and S. Frank and M. 
Spielberg, trustees. 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



During the holidays of that year L. M. Younker, M. 
Spielberg and Joseph Boehn officiated, and the headquarters 
of the Mynion was at a hall over Younkers' store. 

On April 9, 1864, the Keokuk Jewry did at last the right 
thing for the preservation of Orthodox Judaism and a Mr. J. 
Falk, of New York, was chosen to be schochet at an annual 
salary of $300, payable quarterly. Indeed, orthodoxy in those 
days was very cheap, something an Orthodox Jew cannot boast 
of today. 

During the holidays of that year, the number of Jews in 
Keokuk seems to have doubled and the officers of the con- 
gregation grasped the opportunity of renting out pews, of 
selling by auction the several honors during the services and 
of setting a fixed price for certain honors all year around. 
The following is an interesting price list for the different hon- 
ors in the Keokuk synagague during the year 1864-65: 
Hagbah, (lifting the scroll of the Pentateuch, after reading 
the prescribed portion therefrom) 50 cents; Glileh, (helping 
the lifter to roll and tie the scroll) 50 cents; Maphtir (honor 
to grace the last few paragraphs of the Torah and read a 
chapter of the books of the Prophets according to the time of 
year) 50 cents; on holidays, Hagbah was $1.00; Gelileh, 
$1.00, and Maphtir, $2.00, while all other Alyioth (being 
called to grace the Pentateuch) on holidays, they were sold 
by auction and during the year every Saturday, Monday and 
Thursday it was left to the discretion of the president and 
vice president to honor any one they deemed fit for the honor. 
Selling those honors was a custom among the Jews in many 
lands for centuries, for it was the main source of the congre- 



JEWS IN WAR TIME 223 



gational income/but in Iowa, the Keokuk congregation was 
first to install it as medium of raising funds. But the Bnai 
Israel of Keokuk has subsequently abolished that custom, as 
it ceased to be orthodox and voluntary contributions during 
holidays was inaugurated instead. 

On October 13, 1864, Mr. Falk handed his resignation as 
Schochet oi the K'hilah (congregation) and Mr. Berman's 
application was taken in consideration. It was decided that if 
Mr. Berman would prove his authority and show his chalif 
(knife used by the Schochet) to Mr. Falk, and if the latter 
proved that he could sharpen the knife so as to remove from it 
all pgmioth (rough edges) making it sharp and smooth, he 
would be elected to fill the unexpired term of Mr. Falk. Mr. 
Berman was successful and received the appointment. Rev. 
J. Falk died a few weeks after, for his resignation was due 
to inability to perform his duties because of sickness. 

APRIL 15, 1865. 

"A special meeting was called this day, L. M. Younker in 
the chair; on motion of S. Kline it was unanimously voted 
to have our synagogue draped in mourning for thirty days 
(an orthodox period for lamenting after the most beloved 
one) in memory of our late president, Abraham Lincoln." 

How much love, devotion, mourning and sincerity does 
this paragraph of the minutes of the Keokuk congregation 
express ! Let posterity, if only familiar with Orthodox Juda- 
ism,, judge. 



224 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Indeed the seal of death closed a great period in the his- 
tory of America, when Abraham Lincoln was no more, and 
it even affected the scattered children of Israel in the state of 
Iowa; for, from the day the oldest congregation ordered 
thirty days' mourning after the lover of the oppressed, God 
has been with all the Jews in Iowa and new tidings of a more 
cheerful nature came to pass upon them in the various places 
of their sojourning. 



AFTER THE WAR 225 



CHAPTER XVII. 

EVENTS AMONG IOWA JEWS DURING AND AFTER THE WAR 
PRIOR TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PERMA- 
NENT ORGANIZATIONS, 1860-1873. 

McGregor, "Newport of Iowa" — Isaiah Frankel — Jews Be- 
gin to Settle in Des Moines — Germans and Russians — 
How First Peddlers of Among the Russian Jews Came to 
Des Moines — List of Prominent Men — First Mynion in 
Des Moines — Keokuk Advancing — Burlington Awakens. 

The picturesque little city, McGregor, situated on the 
Mississippi, in Clayton county, might justly be styled the 
Newport of Iowa Jewries, and, had the small but flourishing 
Jewish community of that town been careful in preserving a 
record of their experiences, they certainly would have done 
an invaluable service to the cause of history. But, alas, as 
it is today, all that can be transmitted to posterity is a mea- 
gre account collected from oral communications, dry biograph- 
ical sketches and scattered fragments in the formi of a 
name. ''Old timers" claim that the Jews settled in Mc- 
Gregor "very early," but as the town itself was laid out on 
a tract of land belonging to James and Duncan McGregor in 
1846, there was no possibility for any Jew to have been there 



226 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



"very early," besides, there appears no Jewish name on any 
record prior to i860. Possibly some stragglers have been in 
McGregor at intervals during 1846-60, but of them no men- 
tion is made. 

The first Jewish settler of that town was Mr. B. Strauss, 
a prosperous and prominent citizen ; his name appears upon a 
Masonic record, for he was one of the founders and a char- 
ter member of Clayton Chapter No. 27, which was organ- 
ized October 29, i860. In 1862, Mr. Louis Hirshfield, who 
subsequently became one of the formost citizens in Clayton 
county, came to McGregor and established a large clothing 
house. Mr. Hirshfield was born in Sehneidmuhl, Prussia, 
September 19, 1833, ^"^ came to America at a tender age. 
His adventures bear the stamp of those days. Peddling, 
frequent change in headquarters, a start with less than nothing 
— having pawned a suit of clothes for $5.00 to buy Yankee 
notions with — and final success. On July 12, 1857, he -mar- 
ried Miss Rosalia Summerfield, and succeeded in making a 
handsome fortune and in preserving a good name. He, as 
the author of Clayton county history has it, ''was a member 
of the Bnai Sholem congregation of Chicago and secretary of 
the McGregor Lodge I. O. B. B. Daniel No. 128." Hence, 
it appears that the little McGregor Jewry was well equipped 
with the institutions marking the progress of a Jewish com- 
munity. 

In but five years the little town could boast of the follow- 
ing Jewish merchants : B. Strauss, Louie Hirshfield, Abra- 
ham Cohen, Louis Metzger, Leopold Isaacs, B. Rosenthal, 



AFTER THE WAR 



227 



Bended Cohen, William Cohen, S. Rauh, (secretary of the 
Keokuk congregation during the fifties) D. Abrams, M. 
Katzky, L. G. Levy and Charles Stearn. 

They have had a Mynion for several years, and Mr. Leo- 
pold Isaacs (subsequently of Xew York) volunteered to act 




LEOPOLD ISAACS 
(In Possession of Mrs. Weil, Des Moines.) 

as the minister, for he was well qualified for the position. It 
seems that they were the first "reformers" in Iowa, for at no 
time was there made an effort to bring a Schochet or to estab- 
lish all other orthodox institutions, although the Ashkenaz 
ritual was adhered to. 



228 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



The wealthiest Jew of McGregor, who probably was the 
wealthiest of all Jews in Iowa at the conclusion of the war. 
was Abraham Cohen. His large wholesale establishment, of 
which L. G. Levy and Charles Stearn were partners, employ- 
ed, besides clerks, ten travelling men, besides this he had a 
large store in Prairie du Chein, Wisconsin, which is situated 
opposite McGregor. Mr. Cohen was born in Baden, Ger- 
many, and had the same career as all other Jewish pioneers 
during the first half of the nineteenth century. 

It also appears that the Jews were most prominent in the 
affairs of the city and county, although they have refused 
many tenders of responsible offices. Three of them, however, 
have served as councilmen of the town. They were Jacob 
Strouse (1866), Louis Metzger (1876) and A. Samuels 
(1872-73.) 

When the river front towns commenced to decline most of 
the McGregor merchants removed to larger cities, some going 
to Wisconsin and the millde west, others to New York and the 
east, while but a small number of them' were scattered in dif- 
ferent parts of Iowa, and today none of the old settlers or of 
their children are to be found in the beautiful little town of 
McGregor. 

What is to be regarded as the first real orthodox wedding 
in lov^^a was solemnized at Davenport on January 20, 1864. 
The contracting parties were Mr. Isaiah Frankel and Miss 
Bubette Shaiierman. Rabbi Kunrinter, of Chicago, officiated. 
The facsimile of the Kethnhah (orthodox Jewish marriage 
contract) is herewith reproduced, for it certainly is the old- 



^ ^I?^3 ^'^'^ "^^j^* i*^;^^ 'fts^cAp *tft'^- ijjsv ,S^ tiwA^^ Y^ «to^«io^i u<% ut/^pvo^ -^O^^^^'^Ak 



Bii,.4l 



[Ml 



Yf^'V'T' '^fl^«ir^ >j(V 



FIRST K'THUBAH WRITTEN IN IOWA 
FREE TRANSLATION 

This is to certify, that on the day of the week the day of the month in the year 

the holy covenant of marriage was entered into in between the Bridegroom 

and the Bride 

The said Bridegroom made the following declaration to his Bride: " Be thou my wife according 
to the law of Moses and Israel, I faithfully promise that I will be a true husband unto thee; I will honor 
and cherish thee; I will work for thee; I will protect and support thee, and will provide all that is neces- 
sary for thy due sustenance, even as it beseemeth a Jewish husband to do. I also take upon myself all 
such further obligations for thy maintenance during thy life-time, as are prescribed by our religious statute 
And the said bride has plighted her troth unto him, in affection and in sincerity, and has thus taken upon 
herself the fullfillment of all the duties incumbent upon a Jewish wife. 

This Covenant of marriage was duly executed and witnessed this day according to the usage of Israel. 

Witnesses: 



230 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



est document of its kind written on Iowa soil. Of course 
there were Jewish marriages in Iowa before, but most of 
them, from what it appears, have been solemnized without 
the usual orthodox ceremony, and some, chiefly in McGregor, 
have employed a justice of the peace and made a "legal wed- 
ding." 

The family Frankel today is one of the foremost Jewish 
families in Iowa .and the middle west in so far as wealth is 
concerned. The founder of the distinguished family was 
Isaiah Frankel. He was born in Essenhausen, Bavaria, Oc- 
tober 14, 1832, and in 1855, he came to seek his fortune in 
the Hoosier State. His efforts in Indiana proved futile. He 
then moved to Missouri, but even there Fortune refused to 
favor him, and the result w^as that he came to Oskaloosa, Ma- 
haska county, Iowa, and here he began to watch his chances. 
When he married he had but good hopes and a little store 
which he had started after peddling for almost three years. 
But his wife, who was herself a distinguished lady of rare re- 
finement and chaste character, brought him fortune, courage 
and everything necessary to start on the direct road to 
success. In but nine years the little store was converted into 
a small banking establishment and a large store, and from 
1873, till the day oi his death (April i, 1897) he was the fore- 
most citizen in Mahaska county and many counties around. 
He was a devoted orthodox Jew most of his life time, and 
never till the day of his death did he put ''the air of a new- 
millionaire" upon himself. He really lived a simple life, be- 
coming a Jewish pioneer of the patriarchal age of Iowa's de- 
velopment. 



AFTER THE WAR 231 



H/i wife is yet among the living- (1904) and is doing 
charity in the old fashioned Jewish way, that is, she gives as 
much as is needed in real needy places and makes as little 
noise as possible about it. Mrs. Frankel is a sister to the 
Shauermans, who' constitute a large and influential family 
in Des Moines. The young Frankels are now all in Des 
Moines, and are among the wealthiest oi the Jewish commun- 
ity of loiwa's metropolis; but the bank which Mr. Isaiah Fran- 
kel had established in Oskaloosa is yet flourishing in that 
town and is one of the safest houses of finance in Iowa. 

Besides the mercantile and banking business Mr. Frankel 
was a great stock raiser, and his Norman and Clydesdale 
horses were .among the best in that part of Iowa. Politically 
he was a democrat, but mixed himself in politics as little as 
possible, yet as his neighbors urged upon him to represent 
them in some political way, he consented to serve them in the 
city council. His partner for many years was Mr. Bach, who 
subsequently removed to Chicago. Great, indeed, were and 
are the opportunities of this country, particularly for the Jew 
who, alas, is deprived of every opportunity among his ene- 
mies abroad ! 

Meantime signs of a future Jewry in Des Moines began 
to appear. Fate had destined the Jew to be carried away to 
unbroken regions more than once in his history, yet, 
when he came to assist in upbuilding American cities, the 
Jew was not only rewarded with a fair share of the general 
prosperity of the land, but he even was made a leader in many 
avenues of temporal importance hitherto- shut against him. 
Such was the mailing of the Jewish history of America in 



232 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



general and such were the fortunes of those Jews who came to 
Iowa. And, although the development of every Jewish com- 




hirst Jewish Banker in Iowa 

munity in Iowa, particularly that of Des Moines, was marked 
with problematical enigmas, discouraging incidents, discom- 
forting draw backs and numerous disappointments, it has, 
nevertheless, resulted in ultimate success. 



AFTER THE WAR 233 



As it has been pointed out in the preceding chapters, 
the presence of a Jew witnessed the dawn of the history of 
Des Moines, and as it also has been shown, Jews were among 
its leading merchants before, and at the outbreak of the 
Civil War; but the influx of immigration which marked the 
close of the war brought many Jews to this state and a good- 
ly portion of them came to Des Moines. 

Unlike all other communities hitherto mentioned in this 
work, has been the Des Moines Jewry from its very inception; 
no account can be given of them collectively, for geographical 
differences of their respective countries, and of the city of 
Des Moines itself, made it impossible for the Jews who came 
thither to organize themselves into one community. The 
first Jews who landed in Des Moines were mostly of German 
provinces; some were of Bavaria, Saxony and western Prus- 
sia, others of Poland, which belongs to Germany, and of 
eastern Prussia, while still others have come from Austria, 
Alsace and Hungary, and became Germans by "adoptation" or 
''choice." Nearly all of thoise have located themselves in 
West Des Moines, for during the early sixties what is now 
East Des Moines was a vast prairie drowned in mud on 
rainy days and in sand during the days of sunshine. 

Those who were and are styled as Polish or Russian Jews, 
came here after the war, and as most of them were green, 
poor and peddlers, they hired headquarters on the East side, 
which is now East Des Moines. Practically all of the Rus- 
sian-Jewish pioneers of Des Moines were of the Province 
Suwalk, which is situated close to the Lithuanian line on the 



234 THE JEWS OF IOWA 

River Niemen. Some of them were of Kalvary and Volkovisk 
of that province while most of them were of the Httle town 
Pilvissok. 

They were, indeed, one people sentimentally. They were 
on common ground — Jews — believing in the same Jehovah, 
who proclaimed all of them to be one God-chosen people; but 
lo, how varied have been their intellectual development, their 
mannerism, their language and very thinking! The former 
were Germans although some spark of ghettO' life still was at- 
tached to their bearinsf in a new country. The latter were 
the real children of ghetto with a jargon as a means of com- 
munication among themselves and with their fellowmen. The 
former had the benefit of a German culture, although mixed 
with a taint of Jewishness. The latter had inherited the very 
ghetto manners with all their disadvantages indelibly imprinted 
upon their countenances in addition to their common poverty. 
From the very beginning it was easily discerned that the for- 
mer have the Mendelssohnian stamp in the bottom of their 
hearts, and that the latter were in full possession of the strict- 
ness of Orthodoxy as expounded by the Goan of Yilna — 
in short the final division between Orthodoxy and Reform was 
obvious the very day both classes were permitted to breath the 
air of liberty. The same was true in every other community 
of this country, which were the primary reasons for an ulti- 
mate movement of Jewish radicalism. 

Materially neither the German nor the Russian Jew could 
boast of any wealth, and, because the former were in the ma- 
jority prior to 1873, they had a large number of merchants 
among them. Yet, notwithstanding the inevitable hardships 



AFTER THE WAR 235 



which every pioneer had to endure and which also' came to 
pass upon them, most of both classes were on the path of 
success. 

Practically all the polish Jews who came to Des Moines 
between the years 1867 and 1869, have first lived for a brief 
period in and about Rochester, N. Y. There, two townsmen of 
theirs established a "peddler supply" and "gave" them goods 
on credit. About that time there came a youth named Ben Co'- 
hen to Rochester, and, as he also' was of Pilvissok the nijer- 
chants were glad tO' give him a pack of goods on credit. 
The young lad demanded a bill of the wholesale merchants 
— something very strange to the latter for they were only 
prompt in handing them statements as soon as they came tOi 
town, but the peddlers never knew the exact price of goods. 
The other peddlers opened their eyes and laoked very 
strange upon their benefactors, and young Cohen gave them 
a lesson or two in how tO' be peddlers. The merchants sub- 
mitted their own bills, proved their honesty and "made up" 
with their customers. Yet, the little Cohen was much between 
them and large profits, they have, therefore, concluded to 
have the entire headquarters removed far away, where the 
green Cohen lad coiild not find the way. Benny had but few 
dollars worth of his own goods when he left on a trip through 
the New York fields and, alack, when he returned, he found 
none of his friends about the place, for they had all disap- 
peared to, parts unknown to him. He had about $37.00 
in cash and about five or six dollars worth of goods when he 
was left alone deserted by his trustful chums. But, he, however 
had something more than that, that is good common sense. 



236 THF JEWS OF IOWA 

He went to the depot aiid asked the agent to inform him where 
a band of peddlers, green looking fellows, went to. ''To Iowa 
City, Iowa," w^as the prompt reply. He left the same day 
for the strange place, and when he got to Iowa City he met 
all his friends unpacking the cases of goods which had just 
reached the place from Rochester. For a long time it was a 
mystery to the peddlers how Ben found Iowa City, and now 
when Mr. Cohen is the largest real estate dealer among the 
orthodox Jews in Des Moines, he recounts the story with a 
pleasant smile, remarking that he likes to see fair play all 
around. 

But these peddlers could not well adapt themselves to the 
climate of Johnson County, and, soon they removed to Des 
Moines. One of them, a Mr. Harris Franklin, also born in Pil- 
vissok, became a millionaire, and now is interested in the 
mines, railroads and banking establishments of Deadwood, 
South Dakota. 

Among them was also Mr. Wolf Frank, born at Sydarg, 
Poland, in 1820, who, in a way, was the founder of Orthodoxy 
in Des Moines. He was the oldest among them, having been 
a business man in Kalvary before he came to this country, 
and besides, he was the most scholarly one among the Jewish 
pioneers of Des Moines for a number oi years. He opened a 
boarding house, imported a Schochet, and enjoyed the respect 
of all peddlers during those days. He is now (1904) ex- 
tremely old, and the most pious Jew in Iowa. 

A man whom all the peddlers have agreed to call the "hon- 
est and truthful" was Abe Cohen, brother to Ben, and he also 
made quite a success in life retaining his honesty and truth- 
fulness even unto- this day. 



AFTER THE WAR 



237 



The German Jewish colony on the West side could boast of 
a number of prominent men who subsequently became the 
leading merchants of loava's metropolis. Successful among 




MR. WOLF FRANK 



the rest were Joseph Kuhn, N. Goldstone, S. Redstone, J. 
Mandelbaum, A. Lederer, S. Joseph, D. Goldman, L. Samish, 
Moritz Riegelman, L. Hirsh, Joseph Riegelmian, and young 



238 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Henry Reigelman, son of Aloritz. Practically all of these gen- 
tlemen were heads of distinguished families among the Jews of 
Iowa, 

In 1869, Mynion was held on both sides of the river, which 
was practically the foundation for the two oldest congrega- 
tions in Des Moines, the Bnai Israel on the East side and the 
Bnai Yeshurun on the West side of the river. 

In Keokuk the Bnai Israel congregation went from 
strength to strength until it became an institution of the town 
as well as of the Jewish colony, for the ladies have taken a 
hand in congregational matters and put forth every effort 
to raise funds for the erection of a synagogue. 

During the years of 1865-73, ^^e number of Iowa Jews was 
doubled and signs of progressiveness were marked upon every 
Jewish colony of the state. They have invaded every branch 
of commerce and industry and have become leaders in the 
affairs of the state as well. 

Even Burlington awakened from its religious slumber 
during the year 1872, and was at the verge of establishing a 
Jewish congregation; but for some reason (maybe Satan 
chained the projector) they waited yet another year to estab- 
lish their only and short lived congregation. Suffice it 
to say, for sooth, that thus far the Jews whether German or 
Polish, Orthodox or Reform kept pace with the trend of the 
times in Iowa. 



JEWS IN IOWA'S METROPOLIS 239 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

ADVENTURES OF THE JEWS IN IOWA's METROPOLIS, 1 873- 1 885. 

Life Among the Ghettoites — Religious Spirit Predominative 
Power of Pioneers^Social Life During Early Days — West 
Des Moines Jewry — Struggle at the Departure of Ortho- 
doxy — Splendid Work of Jewish Ladies — Congregation 
Bnai Yesurim^ — Congregation Bnai Israel — Progress of 
Both Divisions — Charity on the East Side — Synagogues 
Planned for on Both Sides. 

As the days of Iowa's progress rolled on the advancing 
column of her Jewish citizens became more and more conspic- 
uous and, as the general procession was headed toward Des 
Moines, the aggressive Jewish wing was easily distinguished 
among the heroic host even in the Capital City. 

The peddler of a decade ago became a prosperous mer- 
chant, an ingenious manufacturer, a shrewd financier, all of 
whom' invested their time, money and energy in improving 
the commerce and industry and in upbuilding the streets of 
Iowa's beautiful metropolis. The very Jew, who but a cou- 
ple of years ago dreaded the sight of an Iowa City constable 
as he did the appearance of a Zinovenick (revenue collector) 
in Pilvissok, could now boast of a little fortune, could con- 



240 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



verse with his neighbors in the vernacular of Polk county, 
could feel and enjoy the happiness of a free country. The 
very newcomer, even for him there was ready a store of in- 
formation, a host of friends, plenty of advice, some one to 
teach him a few English words, such as how to ask for lodg- 
ing, for a meal, for a drink of water, besides a Kosher board- 
ing house, a mynion and many chums. Indeed, the immigrant 
of 1873, was fortunate; he was spared from passing through 
the seven gates of Hinoin; he was at once furnished with a 
geopraphical and topographical description of several coun- 
ties, and even a list of the names of all such farmers who were 
apt to refuse goods in exchange for board and lodging was fur- 
nished to him. Those were the golden days of the Iowa ped- 
dler; he was at ease from the legislative authorities, at rest 
from attacks of competitory country merchants, and at liberty 
to pursue his sort of vocation without being called a pauper, a 
degenerator and an unnecessary evil. 

Life in the little Jewish colony on the East Side was any- 
thing but progressive, in a modern sense of the word, during 
the first decade of their sojourn in Iowa. The six working 
days were spent in the country which was, indeed, a hard- 
working, cheerless existence, and when they came to town 
but little pleasure was in store for them; they spent most of 
their time in selecting new goods, settling accounts and plan- 
ning a route for the next trip. Probably their greatest joy 
was during the couple of hours they would congregate in a 
little room which they named schiile (synagogue) ; there they 
woiild forget all their temporal cares, all their earthly bur- 
dens and deepen themselves into sweet thoughts of the great 



JEWS IN IOWA'S METROPOLIS 241 

future in store for the people of Israel, of the eternal life so 
strongly hoped for by every pious man and woman in Israel, of 
the final deliverance of the scattered race. 

From 1869, till April 25, 1876, when the congregation 
Bnai Israel was chartered, services were held during intervals 
only, when one had to commemorate the anniversary of the 
death of a parent, (Yahrzeit) on holidays and on fast days, 
particularly on the 9th, day of the month Ab, the anniversary 
of the destruction of the Temple, mynion would be held, either 
at the house of some one among them, or at the little schule. 
It cannot be said that they lived up to the letter of Orthodox 
Judaism, for conditions were largely against strict observance 
of Orthodoixy; but no sooner have they found themselves to^ 
gether than the spirit of Judaism would prevail over them 
and whatever Jewishness there could be practiced none hesi- 
tated even though time and money had to be sacrificed for it. 

Social life, so to speak, was altogether unknown to them, 
notwithstanding the fact that most of them were single men 
and even the married folks were still young. The ghetto 
spirit was still moving about their tents, and nothing to dis- 
credit young people has, therefore, occurred. There were no 
Jewish girls, either from abroad or born in this country, and 
all the pleasures of the youthful hearts were, therefore, absent 
from the little Jewish colony. In this respect every other 
Jewish community throughout the state suffered the want of 
the society of their kind of women, and, from whatever records 
there could be traced, about a score of the young Iowa Jews 
have told their woes to the daughters of the Hibernians and the 



242 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



latter listened to their sighs attentively and subsequently were 
proud to adopt Jewish names. But none of the Des Moines 
youths resorted to inter-marriage for even like unto the manna 
in the wilderness the charming daughters of Judah came hith- 
er, and happy was the sturdy pioneer who found grace in the 
eyes of a newly arrived damsel. 

Whatever amusement the East Des Moines Jewish colony 
indulged in, took place in their little schule, and it consisted of 
but very little profanity, indeed. It took place chiefly on joy- 
ous occasions, such as Purim, Simchath Tor ah (the last day of 
the feast of Tabarnacles, when the last chapter of the Bible is 
read) and the like. Then, all of their troubles would be for- 
gotten and the day would be celebrated in a good old Jewish 
fashion. But it oftentimes happened that in the midst of their 
glee a sudden meloncholy would overtake them, and more 
than once it happened that such gay gatherings would end in 
silent tears, A feeling, peculiar toi the afflicted people of Is- 
rael only, would invade their hearts, and a spirit of longing for 
that something Israel suffers would depress their joy, and many 
fantastic scenes would dazzle their eyes so that tears would roll 
down their faces without realizing the cause thereof. 

Among the German Jews on the West Side, life was some- 
what more progressive, more Americanized, although even 
they had as yet not wholly forgotten their homes, their strug- 
gles, the fate of their relatives abroad. Their sort of life was 
as godly and pure as that of their East Side brethren, but 
their Jewishness was not possessed of so much of the ghetto 
•pirit. 



JEWS IN IOWA'S METROPOLIS 243 

Socially they were among the aristocracy of the Des 
Moines pioneers, and whatever good Des Moines has today a 
goodly share of it must be accredited tO' them. They were the 
promoters of modern life in the growing town, as were all 
Other Jewish pioneers in the other fair cities of Iowa, and 
whatever prosperity there came in their way was the just re- 
ward of upright and thrifty workers. 

When their number was increased, the first thought was 
their religion, and after the holidays of 1873, a meeting was 
called together and the congregation Bnai Yeshurun was or- 
ganized. The following were the first officers of Bnai Yesh- 
urun : Joseph Kuhn, president ; J. Mandelbaum, vice presi- 
dent; S. Redstone, secretaiy; G. Jacobs, treasurer; A. Led- 
erer, D. Goldman and S. Goldstone, trustees (October 12, 

1873-) 

The services were to^ be conducted in accordance with the 
Orthodox ritual, and every encouragement was given tO' pro- 
mote the strict observance of all Orthodox laws possible to 
maintain under the existing conditions of this country. The 
constitution was originally drafted in the German language, 
but it was subsequently thranslated into English by Me^ss. H. 
Reigelman, J. Mandelbaum and S. Redstone. The progress 
of the newly organized congregation was remarkable, for with- 
in the space of one year's time a cemetery was purchased (Jan- 
uary II, 1874), the need of a minister was reco'gnized and a 
certain Jacobs was elected to preside over their spiritual affairs 
with a salary of $25.00 per month (June 8, 1874), and the 
Union of American Hebrew Congregations was joined. The 



244 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



latter act was the first step toward a gradual reformation, and 
that was also the first initiative of that kind taken by any- 
Jewish congregation in Iowa. For, notwithstanding the fact 
that the U. A. H. C- never intended to go as far as it did 
when the project of a union was first promulgated, it, never- 
theless, w^as the aim of its promoters to drift as far as possi- 
ble from Orthodoxy. 

The first minister of the Bnai Yeshurun was retained but 
for two months, and, as it was close to the holidays of 1874, 
Mr. L. Samish, who was the most learned in the Jewish re- 
ligion among the West Siders, was requested to officiate dur- 
ing the holidays and he did it much to the satisfaction of the 
worshipers. Mr. Samish was a successful business man and 
considered among the foremost members of the West Des 
Moines Jew'ery all his lifetime; he died in 1875, leaving an 
everlasting impression upon his friend^. 

The next minister of the Bnai Yeshuran was a Mr. F. 
Shauer of Milwaukee; his salary was $400 annually, and he 
introduced many "reforms" such as not tO' smoke in schule, not 
to whisper, talk, or laugh while the services were going on, and, 
indeed, he put new life in the career of the little congregation. 
Besides these, actual Reform Judaism began to invade the 
headquarters of the Bnai Yeshuran, for on November i, 1874, 
it was decided unanimously to^ inaugurate the Minhag America 
in their services. 

The first public function given under the auspices of the 
West Side Jews, was a Purim ball (1875) and it was a success 
from every view point. That was really the foundation for 



JEWS IN IOWA'S METROPOLIS 



245 



Jewish charities in the city of Des Moines. The net profit of 
the ball was $230, w^hich was handed over to the treasurer of 
the Bnai Yeshnnm congregation. Mr. M. Riegelman w^as the 
president during 1874-75, and it was during his administration 




JULIUS MANDELBAUM 

that so many eventful changes took place in the congregation.- 
During the year \%y(i-yy, Mr. Julius Mandelbaum was the 
president of the Bani Yeshurun, and it appears that the con- 
gregation made marvelous steps forward, for, in but a few 



246 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



months after his installation, Mess. A. Lederer, I. Kuhn and 
D. Goldman were appointed as a committee to look for a suit- 
able site where a permanent synagogue might be erected. 

Mr. Julius Mandelbaum is also the present president of 
Temple Bnai Yeshurun, ( 1903) and in this respect he has made 
a record for himself among all those Jews of Iowa who have 
served their co-religionists in religious matters. And, al- 
though several other gentlemen have worked as hard to ac- 
complish the ultimate success of the forem.ost Jewish congre- 
gation in Iowa, none, however, have worked as long as he did. 

Mr. Mandelbaum was born in Nurenburg, Bovaria, March 
13, 1837, and landed in New Yory City in 1852. Struggles, 
disadvantages and disappointments overtook him and troubled 
him for several years, until, as in most cases with all other 
Iowa successful Jews, his career was crowned with wealth, 
esteem and honorable success. 

As the parting of the seasons, of life from death, of mother' 
from child, appears the parting of Orthodoxy from the Bnai 
Yeshurun. Many strenuous efforts were made to retain the 
dietary laws and many other of the endeared ceremonies of 
historic Judaism. The fight appears to have been a noble one. 
But the general tide of radicalism, which swept the very 
germ of Orthodoxy from every wealthier community 
in the country, struck also the prosperous West Siders 
and everything conservative was eventually cleared off of the 
way. Yet were their efforts sincere. They have established 
a Reform congregation, not for mere boastfulness, not to 
satisfy the whim of mimicry which plagued so many denomin- 



JEWS IN IOWA'S METROPILIS 247^ 



ations in this country as the nineteenth century grew older 
and the world was continually appearing younger, prettier 
and more fashionable. They have thought,— such was their 
argument— that their way was the best to preserve and secure 
the perpetuity of Judaism in this country. Great good was 
accomplished through their fight for ultimate reformation. 
Their children have at least had the benefit of knowing the 
spirit of Judaism, of becoming familiar with the fundamental 
principles of religion— something the Orthodox children oi 
those days could not possibly learn to know. 

During the month of July, 1877, the West Side communi- 
ty sustained a great loss in the death of one of their co-work- 
ers, namely, Mrs. Jo-seph Kuhn. Lengthy resolutions in the 
lady's praise were offered and adopted unanimously, and it 
appears that she was a great help during her lifetime to every 
good and charitable cause. 

During the year 1878, the Bnai Yeshurun lived through a 
crisis which was apparently from, no other source than the 
prevailing Orthodox sentiments of many members. A. Led- 
erer, J. Alexander and M. Schloss, presfdent, vice president 
and secretary respectively, resigned and I. Kuhn, S. Gold- 
stone and Samish filled the vacancies. But, be it said to 
their credit, that none of the kind of difficulties and divisions 
which have marked the formation o^f Orthodox congregations 
in this country, has ever happened among the reformers, no 
matter how bitter the feelings of some members were. 

The next ministers prior to the inauguration of an English 
preacher in the services of the Bnai Yeshurun were. Mr. Pol- 



24^ THE JP:WS of IOWA 



lock and Mr. Dushner, but the gradual demand for a preacher 
left no more room for that sort of ministers among the Re- 
form Jews in Des Moines and on December 4, 1881, Rev. 
Davidson, of Ottumwa, la., was elected to serve the congre- 
gation as teacher and preacher. 

But the real spirit of the Jewish community were the la- 
dies ; they have not only been the helpers of the poor, the de- 
liverers of the distressed, but have even been foremost in 
perpetuating Judaism in their newly adopted country. They 
have kept their houses pure, and godly and open for every 
one who needed help; they have braved every weather, 
and dared everything righteous in their efforts to col- 
lect money for the sake of a sacred cause, for the sake 
of alleviating sufferings and for the sake of maintain- 
ing what they thought was sacred to Israel. Indeed, if a 
detailed account be given of every good Jew^ or Jewess in 
Des Moines from the foundation of the Jewry of this city, a 
volume could be filled of the many beautiful tales connected 
with the story of every one's adventures, something impossible 
even to attempt in a collective histon^ of all the Jewries of this 
state. Practically all the ladies whose husbands have been 
mentioned in the preceding paragraphs have been prominent- 
ly identified in religious and charitable w^ork; in the latter, 
however, there was no denominational line drawn, for they 
have helped all the needy and distressed, and every pioneer 
even unto this day bears witness of the heroic work of the 
Jewish ladies. ' 

The conofreo:ation Bnai Israel of East Des Moines was 
chartered April 25, 1876, and the following is a list of those 



JEWS IN IOWA'S METROPOLIS 249 

Upon the charter : Joseph Blotcky, M. Frank, Wolf Frank, 
Ben Cohen, Samuel Arenberg, David Cohen, Isaac Goldberg 
and Moses L. Levin. But, as it has been pointed out before, 
the congregation was founded in 1869, when services were 
first held in East Des Moines. 

The progress of the Bnai Israel prior to 1885, when a site 
w^as purchased and the building of a synagogue commenced, 
sums up wilh but very little interesting event to narrate. There 
is a good deal of sameness in the formation O'f every Ortho^ 
dox congregation in America. Most of their difficulties con- 
sisted in inauguarting every Orthodox law or custom and as 
they were uncompromising when it came to observe Ortho- 
doxy in public, strifes and divivSions were inevitable. It must 
also be taken intO' consideration that in the countries where 
Orthodoxy is confined there were none among the pioneers 
who could have had the opportunity of coming near the con- 
gregational or religious affairs of their respective communi- 
ties. For most of them were still too young even to observe 
the conduct of their elders, and the first years of their exper- 
ience in this country was devoted to entirely different lines; 
hence, it was quite a burden upon them when they were con- 
fronted with a problem, of so sacred a natuer as the religion of 
their fathers. But they have, nevertheless, managed to fol- 
low the footsteps of their ancestors with all their integrity, and 
no matter what the individual might have done privately in 
violation of his religion, when the community met together 
for prayer, it was in accordance with every law of Cairo's 
Schulchan Aruch. The only kind of religious authority they 
were able to maintain was a schochet and usually the schocht- 



250 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



im are fairly well versed in the ordinary laws of Judaijm be- 
longing to the ceremonial branch of the Jewish religion, 
which indeed, was all the poor pioneers could observe. 

The first president of the Bnai Israel was Mr. Ben Cohen, 
and for several years he continued in the chair during inter- 
vals with marked credit, for he had, both, the confidence and 
respect of all the members of the congregation. However, 
when the congregation was chartered Mr. Joseph Blotcky was 
its president. 

As soon as the Bnai Israel was chartered vigorous steps 
were taken to inauguarte a desirable Orthodoxy in Des ^loines 
and everything possible w^as done for the preservation of the 
faith of their fathers. As little as their number was and as 
poor as the majority of them were, they have taxed themselves 
to their utmost ability and have paid out from three to five 
hundred dollars annually for the services of a chazon (reader) 
and schochet, besides all other expenses necessary to main- 
tain a congregation. Every sacred institution possible to 
maintain and necessary for the Des Moines Jewry at large 
they did not hesitate in procuring. When the West Siders 
have finally abolished the institution of S'chita, there were 
yet a number of them who craved for Kosher meat, and, not- 
withstanding the fact that none of them contributed anything 
toward the maintenance of a schochet, the East Siders were 
only too glad to have their butcher sell Kosher meat to them. 
In matters of charity the East Side Jews have excelled even 
their noble brethren of the West Side, who were, indeed^ 
more fortunate; and considering the impoverished condition 



JEWS IN IOWA'S METROPOLIS 251 



of many new comers it was indeed surprising how the poorer 
ones were on the spot ready to help a less fortunate brother. 
Hardly a week passed without being called upon to gather up 
a few dollars for some one, and every demand was met with- 
out a murmur. They did it in a good, old fashioned Jewish 
way, without boasting and heralding it thro'Ugh the streets, 
without expecting the least credit of men for it. When a Jew 
saw two men walking together and one carrying a ''red hand- 
kerchief" in his hand, he knew that he must at once part with 
a coin, and he did so, gladly. One who refused to give 
Z'dakah, (charity, although the proper meaning of the word 
is righteousness) was pronounced a wicked fellow who was 
neither favored by God nor loved by man. A genuine spirit 
of the ghetto life prevailed in every walk of their spiritual ex- 
istance, and, had it not been for the conditions of the country 
which are adverse to many points in Orthodo'xy, such as Sab- 
bath observance, etc., they would indeed thought it a New Je- 
rusalem. But, gradually ,mO'St of them, have Americanized 
themiselves, and soon a new order was attached to their daily 
life as well as their religious conduct. 

The merchants of among them were mostly dealing in all 
such goods as are useful for peddlers, and much was the liv- 
liness around a ''peddler's supply" when all would gather to 
buy stock. It, nevertheless, hardly ever happened that words 
of a harsh nature were exchanged, although the causes were 
more than few. There were no fights. None of those pio- 
neers, neither in Des Moines or elsewhere in Iowa, were ever 
sentenced for felony. Evn civil trials wre avoided as much 
as possible. They were the most peaceful citizens wherever 



252 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



they came. All of them, without a single exception, have em- 
braced the first opportunity to become citizens of this country, 
but it never happened that even one of them shall be corrupt- 
ed by some one for the sake of a vote and the like and at- 
tempt to be naturalized falsely. Up till the year 1883, there 
appears but a single Jewish divorce case in the whole state of 
Iowa, and the one which does appear was married to a woman 
oif a non-Jewish creed. 

During the years 1879-81, a division took place among the 
East Side Jews and during the holidays several of the oppos- 
ing forces organized a mynion of their own, but their attempt, 
although the ground work for a future permanent division, 
was at the time but of a short duration, and at the end of but 
two years they have again consolidated. The struggles of 
the pioneers in every one of their efforts, whether sacred or 
secular, have been too many to enumerate, and all that can be 
said is that as much as they have accomplished no other creed, 
under similar conditions, could have even attempted. They 
have come across every disadvantage possible to mar the in- 
tellectual construction of men, and yet, every one of their 
cherished hopes has in most instances been wholly realized. 
The Orthodox have a vigorous Orthodoxy, and the reformers 
have an ever advancing Reform. The pious behold with 
pride how their labors were blessed with the riches of earth 
and grace of heaven, and the epicurean enjoys his own undis- 
turbed. 

The progress of both the Orthodox and Reform congrega- 
tions was marked simultaneously, for at the dawn of the year 
1885, the Bnai Israel and the Bnai Yeshurun had accumulated 



JEWS IN IOWA'S METROPOLIS 253 



sufficient funds to^ erect permanent headquarters, and, notwith- 
standing their differences as regards the outward forms of 
Judaism, both aimed to dedicate their respective places of 
worship to the same God who deHvered their ancestors from 
every one of their enemies, and who guides the footsteps of 
Israel even unto this day. 



254 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER XIX. 

GROWTH OF THE DES MOINES JEWRY AND ITS PRESENT CON- 
DITION, 1 885- 1 903. 

Re-enforcement of the Des Moines Jewry — Gentiles Assist Re- 
ligious Efforts of the Jews — Remarkable Records Held by 
Des Moines Jewry — ^Jewish Charities — Absence of Crimin- 
ology Among Des Moines Jews — Sensational Events Stir 
Jewish Hearts. 

The world has never supplied all its inhabitants with full 
measures of earthly bliss, neither will mankind enjoy only 
happiness in the days to come. Life and death, night and 
day, rain and sunshine, thunder and calmness, spring and 
autumn, seed-time and harvest, summer and winter are nature's 
programme for our earthly entertainment. Health and sick- 
ness, wealth and poverty, liberty and oppression, love and 
hatred, luj<:ury and famine, tears and joy, truth and deceit are 
the several portions proivided for our temporal sojourn on 
this wonderful planet. Peoples are like unto individuals before 
the eyes of the One whoi shapes our destinies; neither can boast 
of everlasting glory, nor bewail eternal suffering. There was 
not a single race in the annals of the human family which was 
given a full measure of joy during its career, neither was there 



THE DES MOINES JEWRY 255 

ever an individual whom fate refused a taste of worldly 
pleasures. Every nation has had its night and day, its spring 
and autumn, and every individual was greeted with smiles 
and tears, with love and hatred. 

Yet, there still remains one very ancient people on the 
face of the earth which has received at the hands of the world 
nothing but strifes, wars, internal disruptions, martydom, 
exiles, expulsions, ostracism, inquisitions, poverty, homeless- 
ness and degredation. It is the people of Israel. The cause of 
it is known only to their Father in heaven. Through their 
career the Israelites have woven one continuous thread of 
wonders, miracles, hazard, peril and escape, and such was the 
thread of their life. We are only permitted to trace their 
marvelous advance throughout the darkest ages, but we can- 
not enter behind the scenes and find out any reason for their 
perpetuity, we cannot understand why that insignificant thread 
was neither cut by the Roman swcrd nor burned by the Spanish 
fagot. We only know of their great achievements in the 
world of learning, of their deep insight into the mysterious 
depths of that something which elevates man to^ heaven, but 
we can produce no account otf their great deeds toward an 
earthly foothold, toward a triumphant career of a material na- 
ture. We behold them; at frequent intervals, during their na- 
tional existance, engaging themselves in maccabean-like rallys, 
but it soon vanishes from O'ur sight and they are again a peo- 
ple of the book. Among the ancients Israel stands as a mon- 
ument of heavenly wonders, and among the modern nations 
he remains an historian, chronicling the wrongs of the strong 
against the weak, of the powerful against the submissive. 



256 JEWS OF IOWA 



But, fortunately, nO' task of that sort is being heaped upon 
Israel in this country. Here he is no longer the world's dreamer. 
He is rather practical. The records of Jewish growth of their 
fortunes speak for the sudden transiaion of the Jew as well 
as it lauds the standard of the American nation. 

The success of the Jew in this country is due as much to 
the liberalism and friendliness of the Christian-Americans as 
to his own ingenuity and indefatigable zeal. All of the Amer- 
ican Jews who made fortunes for their succeeding generations 
were of ghetto origin, who were in full possession of thir phy- 
sical and mental powers in Europe as well as in this country; 
but there, every opportunity was shut up, fenced in, while here 
every gate, leading to a road of fortune, was freely opened to 
them. 

The Des Moines Jewry which is now the largest and 
wealthiest in Iowa might well serve for a specimen of the 
spirit of the brotherhood which prevails among the different 
classes. When the time came to pass that the handful of 
pioneers on both sides of the Des Moines river concluded to 
build houses of worship and dedicate them to the God of Is- 
rael, they were hardly able to do so without the assistance of 
their neighbors, and the latter have certainly demonstrated 
their liberal spirits by appearing upon every function given un- 
der the auspices of the Des Moines Jewry for the benefit of 
their institutions, religious or charitable. Of course the Jews 
in return have acted most generously in contributing toward 
churches and all other institutions maintained by denomina- 
tional funds. 



THE DES MOINES JEWRY 257 

When the Bnai Yeshurun and Bnai Israel synagogties 
were dedicated, the whole town rejoiced in reading the re- 
ports of the newspapers of the impressive ceremonies and ded- 
icatory addresses made by prominent Jews and Gentils, and 
every progressive step taken by the growing Jewish commun- 
ity was received with the greatest kind of approbation. When 
a new Jewish great enterprise was opened — something which 
happened very frequently — the press as well as the public ac- 
claimed it with all manner of praise, and when a Jewish mer- 
chant was forced to give up business — which was, indeed, a 
very rare occurence— the deepest regret was sounded through- 
out the to'wn. Clerks whoi were employed by Jews and are now 
men of means themselves claim, that not only have they receiv- 
ed the best treatmnt possible at the hands of their Jewish em- 
ployers, but even their final success was due to the fact that 
they were permitted to learn the different ways otf doing good! 
and solid business. 

About that time the number of enthusiastic religious and 
charitable workers was strongly re-enforced by several promi- 
nent families who subsequently becsime leading factors in the 
fore front of the Des Moines Jewry. The most distinguished 
among them were the Younkers on the West side, and Falk 
Brody and J. R. Cohen on the East side. 

How the Younkers made their fortune is best illustrated 
in the following account given by Mr. Marcus Younker: "I 
was bom at Lipno, Province Polotzk, Poland, in August, 1839. 
and, like all the rest of the boys of that town, I have attended 
Chedar (Hebrew school) till I was Bar Mizzvah (thirteen 



258 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



years, when Jewish boys are confirmed.) But as there was 
no profitable field of labor or any other enterprise open neither 
for any of my brothers nor for myself, we have concluded to 
^emigrate to America. Thus, my brothers and myself came to 




MR. MARCUS YOUNKER 

New York (1854) to hunt our fortunes. I had a stock of 
stationery amounting to $2.50, to start my career in this coun- 
try with. But my sad experience of my first day's adventure 
IS forever imprinted upon my memory. I was to take a stage 



THE DES MOINES JEWRY 259 

to Union Square where I was to search trade either on the 
street or by ascending and descending countless steps leading 
to offices, but, as I was getting 011 the stage, my entire stock fell 
in a dirty gutter and there my tearful eyes saw how my whole 
fortune perished. Kind-hearted bystanders had remorse upon 
me and helped me out with the sum of one dollar and that 
practically was my start in the United States." 

" We came to Keokuk in 1856, where we started up a 
small business, but as yet, some of us, sometimes myself, and 
sometimes my brothers Samuel or L. M., would go out and 
ramble through the country and peddle among the brave and 
generous pioneers of Lee and Des Moines counties. In 1885, 
we found ourselves too large for Keokuk, orur business 
had outgrown the town, which, at that time, along with all 
other river-front towns, was on the decline, and, ever being 
ambitious to attain a firm foothold in the business world, we 
have taken out $6,000 of our capital and invested in a branch 
store in Des Moines which was said to be the promising center 
of commerce in Iowa. That our investment was a profitable 
one will be believed by all lowans." 

Mr. Marcus Younker retired from active work in 1895, 
and since then he has traveled extensively and, together with 
his devoted wife, he has visited Jerusalem and other interest- 
ing points in Palestine. At intervals he was President of the 
Bnai Yeshurun congregation and is now ( 1904) its vice presi- 
dent. He is a man of conservative ideas, ever retaining a 
spark of Orthodox Judaism deep in his heart, ever ready to 
help a good cause; he is a man of wealth enjoying the esteem 
of Jew and Gentile alike and is known far and wide in this 
state. 



26o THE JEWS OF IOWA 

Mrs. Marcus Younker, notwithstanding her wealth, her 
connection with the Reform Temple and her social standing, 
continues to be a strict Orthodox lady in her religious belief. 
She keeps her table Kosher in the full meaning of the word 
and has never, even during her travels, tasted any food not 
prepared according to the dietary laws of the Bible and Caro's 
S'ulchan Anich. In charitable work she stands as a direct 
successor of the good mothers in Israel of yore; she gives 
whenever there is one in need but says nothing about it. 

The impoverished little city of Calvary, Province Suvalk, 
Poland, is more famous among the Russian and Polish Jews of 
this country than any other European ghetto even of ten times 
its size. The chief reason for it is that that town has pro-- 
duced numerous pioneers who hold foremost positions among 
the Orthodox Jewiss 'of America, beginning with New York. 
Even in the Reform camp there are numerous Germanized 
Calvarians, and the rabbinate of the latter has a distinguished 
member, now residing in New York who is the son of a 
Calvarian cobbler. The ''meal ticket," of which a fac simile 
is here reproduced, shows that the people of Calvary had a 
good system in every public institution. 

Several families of that town have located themselves in 
Des Moines and are, indeed, sustaining the above statement, 
for amongst them are many good members of the Orthodox 
Jews of Des Moines, of whom Falk Brody and J. R. Cohen 
are foremost. 

Mr. Falk Brody was born in Calvary, in 1842, and, as his 
father was a man of means, he remained there in business for 
a number of years. But when the general persecution against 



THE DES MOINES JEWRY 261 



the Jews broke out in its full rigor throughout Russia and 
Poland with the accession of Alexander III to the throne 
of the Czar^ like many other of his — -^— c*^ he resorted 




MR. F. BRODY 



to emigration. His adventures in this country date back to 
1 88 1, w^hen some of his townsmen advised him tO' become a 
glazier in New York. He resorted tO' carrying a box of glass 
up and do'wn the steps of the large tenement houses of that 



262 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



great metropolis for but a short time and came to Iowa, where 
his nephews, the Blotckys, were estabhshed in business. But 
Mr. Brody made a poor peddler, he was not fit for a life of a 
constant wanderer. Fortune, however, followed him up when 
he started up a little "peddler's supply." 

Mr. Brody, of all the Orthodox Jews of Iowa, has became 
one of the leading wholesale merchants in this state. He also 
holds the very rare distinction of being the only Jew in Iowa 









f'^^QJ^j^fty^'yi 









'h/^ 1^ 



FACSIMILE "MEAL TICKET" 
Of the Kalvary Hachnosath Orchim. In possession of Mr. F. Brody, Des Moines. 

doing over a quarter of a million dollars worth of business 
annually who keeps his business closed on Sabbath and on all 
other Jewish holidays. Three of his sons, Harry Abraham and 
Meyer are now members of his firm) and another one, J. I. 
Brody, is a merchant of considerable wealth in Elliot, Iowa, 
where he also serves in the city council. Besides his mercantile 
pursuits the latter owns about 600 acres of good Iowa land, 
which gives him also- an honorable place among the few Jewish 
formers of the state. 



THE DES MOINES JEWRY ^ 



Mr. J. R. Cohen was born in that town of a distinguished 
family, December 15, 1854, and at the tender age of twelve 
his sagely father, Abraham, brought him to New York. 
Young Cohen had to work his own way from the very day he 
landed on these shores, and he did it with marked credit. In 
1874, he married Miss Rachel Levich, a daughter of one of the 
Polish Jewish pioneers of Des Moines, named Abe Levich, 
who made quite a fortune by peddling, for he was known to 
be honest and fair among his patrons in several counties. The 
first few years after Mr. Cohen married dragged along in one 
continuous struggle for a living with many disadvantages in 
his way, until in 1880, he came to Des Moines and established 
a little cigar factory, which proved to be his right field Oif en- 
terprise. He remains, even unto this day, firm- among the Or- 
thodox Jews, yet he, probably more than any other Orthodox 
Jew in Des Moines, enjoys the friendship and esteem of all 
classes of his co-religionists. He is a prominent Mason and 
is one of the few lowans who belong to the K. C. C. H. Con- 
sistory of that noble fraternity. 

Thus it will be obvious in the course of this narration that 
the Des Moines Je\vry was increased by generous and useful 
members, for, in addition to the above mentioned gentlemen 
there was quite a number of other ardent workers in religious 
and charitable matters of among the later Jewish immigrants. 

The two congregations, after having succeeded in erecting 
synagogues, have started out on glorious careers with dif- 
ferent vievvs on Judaism ; the Bnai Yeshurun continued toward 
Reform while the Bnai Israel refused to part even with one 



264 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



iota from Orthodoxy. But the latter were soon to remain as 
only a part of the East side Jews, for, several new comers, 
still possessing the notions of their respective little villages, 




JULIUS R. COHEN 

considered even the Bnai Israel too radical for an Orthodox 
congregation which was, indeed, the prime reason for the final 
division of the East Des ^loines Jews. Several of the poor 
and of the remaining peddlers of the early seventies, separated 



THE DES MOINES JEWRY 265 

themselves from the Bnai Israel and rented a room where they 
have continued to worship until, when their number w^as in- 
creased by many immigrants, they have succeeded in raising 
sufficient funds to make a p.ayment on a permanent place of 
worship. They have had no expenses of paying a minister's 
salary or for any other Jewish institution for a number of 
years, for the Bnai Israel always had a minister who provide 
the entire Jewry with Kosher meat. They have named their 
congregation Beth el Jacob (the House of the God of Israel) 
and to-day it is a large congregation where services is con- 
ducted three times daily according to Orthodox laws. Its 
leader for several years has been Mr. C. Silberman, a promi- 
nent merchant, and a man of influence among them. The only 
Rabbi that that congregation has had was A. L. Zarchy, now 
at Louisville, Ky. The latter holds a prominent position 
among the Yiddish speaking Orthodox rabbis of the country. 

The only rabbi that the congregation Bnai Israel had en- 
gaged prior toi 1902, was L. Seresevsky. He was born in 
Tauroggen, Province Kovno, Russia, about 1840, and died 
at Indianapolis Ind., in 1896. All the other ministers of the 
Bnai Israel were Chazonim and Schochtim. 

When Orthodox Judaism in this country begim to decline, 
the cause oi it was traced to the fact that the young generation 
understands nothing about it when it is interpreted to them in 
the Yiddish to^ngue, which is altogether strange to them, and 
a movement to establish schools where the Hebrew shall be 
translated into English, and to engage English-speaking Ortho- 
dox rabbis was inaugaurated. The movement follow^ed 
the dawn of Zionism among the people of Israel, and 



266 THE j£WS OF IOWA 



it spread itself over every Jewry like a flash of light- 
ning. The Des Moines Jewry was also roused and 
when one effort during 1895-96, to establish a perma- 
nent Hebrew school proved futile, a scheme was pro- 
mulgated to establish a third Orthodox congregation and to 
engage an English-speaking minister who shall also instruct 
the young. Most of the projectors were Jews living on the 
West* side who, hitherto, had to gO' a long ways to reach a 
synagogue on the East side. Among them were R. Marks, 
H. B. Gottstein, L. Aransky and several others, and their 
earnest efforts proved successful. They have organized the 
Tifereth Israel congregation, (1901) introduced many inno- 
vations in Orthodox services such as men and women worship- 
ing together, to hold Friday evening services late after sunset, 
etc., and started upon a promising career. Among their mem- 
bers are the Davidson brothers, L. Ginsburg, O. Cohen, Mose 
Levich, Abe Adler and many other well known merchants and 
money brokers of West Des Moines, and their congregation is 
a credit to the community. 

Among the ministers of the Bnai Yeshurun congregation 
was the Re^^ Dr. Mueller -who was of a more conservative in- 
clination and during his time the congregation was kept back 
from many radical measures, the latter is now the rabbi of a 
conservative congregation at Louisville, Ky. But the most 
scholarly rabbi among the Reformers of Iowa is Soloman H. 
Sonneshein. He is a scholar of note, and, as a man of the old 
school, he certainly holds a firm position among the early re- 
formers of this country. He was born in Hungaria, and 
studied Talundic literature for a number of years, and has been 
a rabbi among the radical wing of the American Jewry for 
thirty-five years. 



THE DES MOINES JEWRY 267 

In no< American community equal to the size of Des Moines 
have ever a group of Jews became so conspicuous, such potent 
factors, or enjoyed as much wealth, prosperity and happiness, 
as the Des Moines Jewry did. Today the Jews of Des Moines, 
figuring at the ratio that one-fifth of them are children O'f 
school age, number close to 5,000, which is practically one 
twentieth of the population of that city, and no other class, if 
the city should be divided in twenty parts, can produce so 
much to boast of. The general notion that the Jews are either 
merchants or peddlers is altogether groundless, in so far as the 
Jews of Iowa generally are concerned. The Jews of Des 
Moines, while there is a great percentage of merchants among 
them, are nevertheless represented in almost every trade or 
profession which is available in the community. In fact they 
produce a greater variety than probably any other class, part 
of which is due to the fact that they originally came from 
different sections of the globe and, therefore, were naturally 
of all sorts O'f trades and professions. Among them' are fac- 
tory hands, street laborers, tailors, cobblers, watchmakers, 
butchers, printers, cabinet makers, masons, actors, musicians, 
school teachers, book-keepers, saloon keepers, grocery men, 
rag pickers, news dealers, antique dealers, money brokers, 
manufacturers, wholesalers, iron dealers, peddlers, photog- 
raphers, telephone and telegraph operators, public office holde- 
ers, trained nurses, lawyers, physicians, financiers, real estate 
dealers, insurance agents, landlords, capitalists, jewelers, pawn 
brokers and great captains of commerce of industry in whom 
part of the pride of Des Moines rests. But there is practically 
not a single drunkard, proifessional beggar, tramp or gambler 



268 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



among them. And while their average wealth is far from 
being fabulous as is generally current to be, there is a remark- 
able absence of poverty and distress among the Des Moines 
Jews. 

About half of the charity distributed by the Des Moines 
Jews goes to institutions and poor outside of Des Moines. The 
total cost of maintaining the four cooigregations during the 
year ending 1903, was $7,350. Besides their religious institu- 
tions, they are supporting three ladies' societies, one Order 
Brith Abraham lodge, one Bnai Brith lodge, one Odd Fellows 
lodge and three Zion societies. The Orthodox Jews are con- 
tributing $500 annually toward the maintenance of the Jewish 
institutions in Palestine, besides their contributions to Ameri- 
can Jewish institutions, travelng preachers, and Jewish 'poor of 
European cities. While there are, as in all other Jewish com- 
munities, some denominational differences, yet the spirit of 
brotherhood which prevails among them is matchless among 
any other class. 

Between the years 1883-91, not a single Jew divorce case 
was ever tried in Des Moines, and only eleven such cases have 
happened in the history of the Iowa Jews, six of which were 
in Des Moines. No Jew in Des Moines was ever convicted 
on a charge of adultery, robbery, larceny, homicide, man- 
slaughter, extortion, or any other similar crimes. Several cases 
of illegal bankruptcy, receiving stolen goods, and one case of 
arson aggregate the amount of criminology among the Jews 
of Des Moines, but even in those cases most of the defendants 
were not convicted. 

A good deal of sensation, anxiety and talk has caused the 
'Tinkelstine murder" in Des Moines Jewish quarters. Mr. 



THE DES MOINES JEWRY 269 



Finkelstein was on the Des Moines police force for several 
years and quite prominent among his fellows as well as among 
the Jews. When the Des Moines municipality was struck by 
a wave of reform, Mr. Finkelstein joined the crusaders and for 
a time was the terror of the Des Moines vice fraternity which 
consisted of no small membership. In his efforts to read the 
city of its crimi!ial elements, Mr. Finkelstine never remem- 
bered his own life, which was indeed plotted against, and as 
he was walking through an alley some one, whose identity 
cannot be ascertained even unto this day, struck him with a 
club over the head and he fell prostrate in a pond of his own 
blood. (1902.) His death roused the whole state, and a ne- 
gro, named Walker, was convicted and received a sentence of 
eight years in the penitentiary. 

The Dryfus drama touched the hearts of the Des Moines 
Jwry and an indignant meeting was held where many promin- 
ent Jews and Gentiles expressed their bitterness against the 
French militerism and passed resolutions to that effect. 

The Kisheneff tragedy spread horror even in Des Moines, 
and a great deal was done toward the help of the victims. A 
miass-meeting was called over which the governor, A. B. Cum- 
mins, presided and many influential men spoke denouncing 
Russia and its ruler, and resolutions urging the United States 
government to file a protest against Russian inhumanity 
were unanimously adopted. The Governor then appointed 
a committee to raise funds for the sufferers and abo-ut $1,200 
was collected. 



270 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



The Jews of Des Moines have achieved wonders in the 
comparatively short period of their sojourn in that town. In 
education, charity, business and all other human enterprises 
they are second to none ; and in morality, love and affection for 
their family they retain the true Jewish characteristics which 
is, indeed, matchless among any other human races. Whatever 
faults there are among them the future will remedy. 



THE DAVENPORT JEWRY 271 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE DAVENPORT JEWRY, 1874-I9O3. 

Transition of Judaism — Reorganization of the Davenport Con- 
gregation — Initiative Step Toward Reform — Spirited Op- 
position — Temple , Enamel Erected — Davenport LadSies — 
Equalization of Women in Judaism^ — Cloud Shadowing 
Glory of Davenport Jewry — Final Triumph — Rock Island 
Ghetto. 

An abrupt blast of the ram's-horn trumpet, such as is usual- 
ly employed in ushering in a Jewish New Year, interrupted 
the deep lethargy of the Davenport Jewry and, ever since, its 
consciousness continued marvelcmsly among the most con- 
spicious Jewries of the middlewest. During the decade of 
which but oral communications were preserved we find the Jews 
of that flourishing city investing everything available in them 
solely in temporal matters. Fate, however, was very kind to 
the faith of their fathers ; it only spent a lullaby to still it to 
sleep, but it aimed at it none of its blows, it did not touch its 
vitality. 

Judiasm generally in this country, during those days, suf- 
fered the results of transition. A religion binding its adher- 
ents in every avenue of existence, forcing its laws upon the 



272 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



individual as well as upon the community, a religion which has 
been the very vitality of a great people for thousands of years, 
which has become part of the life of every Jewish household, 
could not be changed, modifkd, or reformed in a fortnight, 
could not lose its hold upon its partisans submissively. The 
leaders of Reform Judaism partook a taste of the task to break 
a bottle and not spill the wine thereof, when their persistency 
urged upon them the destruction of the ''outward forms of 
Judiasm", as they were pleased to style the dietary laws, the 
entire Talmudic Judaismj and the rituals adopted by the 
Kneseth ha G'dolah. (Great Assembly) Judaism, in its en- 
tirety, is composed of a code of laws and a declaration of 
principle; it supplies rules for temporal matters and provides 
thought for the sentimental side of man's existence. We can- 
not divorce one and embrace the other unless we undermine 
the very foundation of religion, unless we yield the Bible to 
its enemies. If we abolish one half of the Mosaic laws the 
other half loses its prestige. If one kind of laws were framed 
by men there is no reason to make one believe that the other 
comes not from the same source. 

But the leaders of Reform in America were more practical, 
or at least, more successful, than their predecessors, the Berli- 
nites, in that they have founded a Judaism which in the future, 
if moulded with more conservativeness, will lead the Jewish 
people to the top-most position among the enlightened nations 
of the earth. 

Judaism was thrown into a choas; a folded obscurity 
brought an expansion of darkness upon the horizon, and dur- 
ing that tumult — which was in part a natural result of estab- 



THE DAVENPORT JEWRY 273 

lishing fixed laws for rising communities in an unsettled land 
—the Jew has accustomed himself to vioalte indifferently all 
those laws which his ancestors lived and died for and, no 
sooner was that accomplished than the Reformers stepped 
forward and offered a Judaism for the American born children 
of an entire new construction. And, notwithstanding the fact 
that history cannot sanction such methods in Judaism, it must 
be admitted that had they not stepped forward the fate oi the 
young generation would have been similar to that of the 
Berlinites. 

The Davenport Jewry, from its very inception, was stamp- 
ed with the seal of Mendelssohnian thought, and, as the condi- 
tions were largely against the observance even of the most 
liberal kind of Orthodoxy, it was but natural for it to suf- 
fer its transitory period along with the other smaller com- 
munities of this country. And although reports have been 
preserved of several Schochtim and M'lamdim who were the 
care takers of Judaism in Davenport during the years 1862- 
74, it was only a rally of a fainting spell, but no real Jewish 
life existed. The problem of bringing up their young con- 
fronted the Davenport Jews when their number began to mul- 
tiply, and — what manner of Judaism could they have 
offered to the thoroughly Americanized young ones? Could 
they fall back to the kind of Orthodoxy their fathers instilled 
in them? No, that faith was long since forsaken by them- 
selves. They have, therefore, resorted to whatever improve- 
ment they deemed more beneficial to their children. Of all 
the Jews of Iowa the Davenport Jews had no need of german- 
izing themselves in order to dejudaize Judaism, for they were 



274 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



real Germans, with hardly a flavor of Poland or Lithnania 
about them. And, in adition, their sincerity cannot be ques- 
tioned, for from the accounts preserved by their congregation, 
their zeal and earnest efforts appear most conspicuously and, 
it is, therefore, no surprise that theirs is the only community 
in Iowa where Orthodoxy cannot gain a firm foothold. 

The Bnai Israel oif Davenport was re-organized at the end 
of the Jewish year 5634, (September 6, 1874) and, although 
at that time no radical measures were resorted to, it was main- 
ly due to the fact that even the Reformers themselves were 
yet schemeing their subsequent bold declaration ; yet whatever 
liberalism possible in those days was adopted by them. 
Their growth during the choatic period was of a slow nature, 
but all those who settled themselves among them prior to 1874, 
-were men of standing and culture who subsequently figured 
prominently in the final development of that flourishing 
Jewish community. 

There were but remarkably few changes in the leadership 
of the Davenport Jewry so long there were few pioneers among 
them, yet was not their career wholly spared from strifes and 
little troubles springing forth from one source or another. 
And, as not all of them were able to devote their attention 
to communal matters, the leaders who undertook to carry 
the burdens of the community upon their shoulders were most- 
ly distinguished men who were able to spare some Oif their time 
for the welfare of Jewish matters Most conspicuous among 
those pioneers who are now deceased were : M. Raphael, 
president of the Bnai Israel for ten years; John Ochs, 



THE DAVENPORT JEWRY 275 

president^ for four years; W. Freund, first presidtnt of 
the reorganized Bnai Israel; Dr. R. Alberty, secretary 
and prominent leader for several years; L. Greenbaum, 
A. Frank, Jacoib Raphael, A. Meyer, J. Jacobson, Joe 
Froelich, A. Moritz, H. Deutsch, A. Freudliech, Herman 
Silberstein and D. Rotschild, Sr. Among the living 
leaders of the Davenport Jewry today are : I. Rotschild, D. 
Rotschild, president, Bnai Isreal, M. Levy, Joseph Ochs, 
Louis A. Ochs, Isaac Kline, J. H. Raphael, Isaac Petersberger, 
Martin Silberstein, A. Mosenfielder and Alex Petersburgef. 

The Bnai Israel, after its reorganization, commenced on a 
career of continuous glory, every one of its efforts during the 
past thirty years was crowned with triumph regardless of the 
many struggles, dissensions and obstacles it was forced to 
meet on its sacred path. The spirit of harmony yas interrupted 
but twice during its long career, but as its mission was to fur- 
ther the sincere cause of its partisans it came out victorious in 
the end. The spiritual guide of the Bnai Israel during its first 
struggles, and for a considerable time afterwards, was Rev. 
Mr. I. Fall. He was engaged as chazan and teacher in January 
1875, and continued to please the greater majority till 1890. 
He holds the record among the Jewish ministers of Iowa in 
length of service, for no other rabbi or chazan served longer 
than seven years in one congregation. He was a native of 
Germany, and, although of limited knowledge, he was suc- 
cessful in leading his flock with remarkable ingenuity. 

The presiding officer during the reconstructive period of the 
Bnai Israel was John Ochs, (1875-79) but it appears that the 



276 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



notion of a too rapid transition was displeasing to the lat- 
ter, although he himself was afterwards a sincere 
follower of Reform Judaism. It was at a meeting 
held March 30, 1879, when the Bnai Israel decided to join 
the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and to inau- 
gurate all such changes as it deemed preferable by the Reform 
leaders, that John Ochs tendered his resignation as president 
and with him the lesser leaders and acouple of influential mem- 
bers also withdrew from activity; but matters were settled 
amicably as soon as the leadership was thrust upon the shoul- 
ders of Mr. Michael Raphael. 

Mr. John Ochs was born at Nordsteden, Germany, in 
181 1, and, after having spent the first half of the Nineteenth 
Century in Europe, he came tO' Davenport (1854) and soon 
engaged himself in the real estate business. He was the first 
Israelite in Davenport to recognize the need of a Jewish ceme- 
tery and in 1856, he purchased a piece of ground which has 
served as a burying place for the Davenport Jewry even unto 
this day. He was the most conservative Jew among the pio- 
neers otf Davenport and enjoyed the esteem and love of his 
neoghbors all his lifetime. He died, May 11, 1880. 

The projectors of the movement which caused the dis- 
sension were A. Moritz, Dr. R. Alberty and L. Greenbaum, 
who were previously appointed as a committee to devise means 
how to further the cause of Judaism. They have brought in 
recommendations which sounded on the whole very conserv- 
ative and admirable, indeed, but as one clause of the recom- 
mendation encouraged the adoption of the English language 



THE DAVENPORT JEWRY 277 

for the pulpit, it proved disagreeable to those who still retain- 
ed the love for their mother tongue, which was German. Even 
in this respect the Bnai Israel only experienced the same crisis 




JOHN OCHS 
First Jewish Real Estate Dealer in Iowa 



the Portuguese Jews had to face and the Russian Jews are 
facing. But it surely was not out of lack of patriotism 
to this country that English was opposed to, it was rather 



278 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



the instinct of mankind to yield none of the charms of child- 
hood to ruin that which appealed strongest to their hearts, be- 
sides, English was but little understood by those pioneers who 
came here well advanced in years. 

Meantime the community grew in wealth and numbers, 
and a demand for a permanent place of worship was created. 
Those who came to the assistance of the brave were the heroic 
mothers and charming daughters of the Davenport Jewry. 
They were organized at first in a Ladies' Aid Society 
confining their labors to take care of the sick and needy 
and to look after the cemetery, but w4ien a movement 
to build a Temple was set in motion they were first to 
offer their services. And they were successful, too. For, 
as in every other progressive Jewish community in Iowa, 
the ladies of Davenport distinguished themselves in rais- 
ing sums by means of balls and entertainments, and 
as well as the Talmud is full of praise for the Egy^p- 
tian Jewesses who were conspicuous in this country dur- 
ing the transitory epoch, they have rescued Judaism from the 
verge of extinction and placed it at the summit of a triumph- 
ant arch. 

On July 5, 1885, the congregation was already strong 
enough to commence vigorous steps tOAvard building a Temple 
and it was decided to let the contract out. Thus it is obvious 
that the year 1885 ^"^^^ ^^"^^ most important one in the history 
of Judaism in Iowa ; for during that year the Bnai Yeshurun 
and Bnai Israel synagogues of Des Moines were also built 
and even in Sioux City a congregation was organized during 
the summer of that year. On the building committee served 
Mess. M. Raphael, president; A. Moritz, Isaac Rotschild, 
treasurer of building fund ; Joseph Ochs and H. Deutsch. 



THE DAVENPORT JEWRY 279 

The first stq> toward modern Reform was taken at a meet- 
ing held February 28, 1886, when it was decided to wear no 
hats during the dedication services, for, in accordance with. 
Orthodoxy, it was the most radical step yet ventured by an 
Iowa Jewish congregation. Strange, indeed, that at the same 
meeting only $25.00 was appropriated to. engage an English 
speaking rabbi to deliver the address of the solemn occasion. 
At the same meeting the family of Rothschild was honored 
most elaborately, for upon the request of Max M. Rothschild 
it was unanimously voted tO' name the new Temple — Emanuel, 
in honor of Moses Emtmuel Rothschild, who^ had lately died. 
This w^as, and is even unto this day, the greatest honor yet con- 
ferred upon a Jewish name in Iowa by any congregation. 

The entire cost of the Temple was $5,082, and, considering 
the size of the community and remembering that only a por- 
tion thereof were interested in religious work and busied them- 
selves in the welfare of Judaism, this work was most remark- 
able. 

About that time an attempt to discharge Mr. Fall and en- 
gage another minister who should also be a preacher was made, 
but it appears that the chazan was too strong for his opponents 
and his services were prolonged for several years more. Mr. 
Fall might serve as a specimen of the old type of Jewish minis* 
ters of this country, who have advanced with the general pro- 
cess of evolution of Judaism, He was most Orthodox, like a 
number of others of his class, when he came to Davenport, 
but was ever ready to^ yield to the demands of his 



28o 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



flock, for he never raised a voice of protest against any radi- 
cal measure ventured by his constituents and was ever ready to 
follow every sort of naive customs promulgated by them. 




TEMPLE EMANUEL 
Davenport 



On August 25, 1889, a new law in Judaism was enacted by 
the Bnai Israel, although they were not the originators of the 
project. It was unanimouslv voted that the established law in 



THE DAVENPORT JEWRY 281 

Judaism that a Mynion is coinstituted only of ten males over 
thirteen years of age was too much against civilization and, in- 
stead, they have made it a law in Israel that ten persons, male 
or female, over thirteen years of age, shall henceforth be con- 
sidered a mynion to conduct services with. Such decree had 
already been promulgated by the Conference of Reform rabbis 
in the famous Pittsburg platform, but in Iowa the Davenport 
Jewry was first in agreeing wdth the modern sages of Israel 
The reason for enacting that law is more because of lack oi 
attendance in Reform Temples during services than for plac- 
ing the Jewish ladies on equal footing with their husbands, 
fathers and brothers in Judaism. Women, originally, were 
thought to occupy themselves more with domestic matters, 
added to that was the fact that Jewish services were to be con- 
ducted by ten Israelites w^ho were to wear phylacteries and 
fringes during week days, and fringes (Talith) during Sab- 
baths and holidays, which -women were excused from wearing 
for several reasons, and good ones, too; but modern Jewish the- 
ologians have cast all those symbols away and decided that 
women were capable of performing religious services 
equal to men. But history must pass over such steps peaceful- 
ly so long women were not advised to go to war. 

After the equalization of women by the Bnai Israel, it was 
discovered that Rev. I. Fall was too old for the congregation, 
and even his music, although assisted by a hired choir, was 
thought toO' ancient, which were good grounds to discharge 
him before the holidays of the year 5650 (August 5, 1890) 
notwithstanding his pleadings and protests and claims. But 



282 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



God had in store a course of purgatives for the Bnai Israel; 
He inflicted upon them a product of the chaotic period as the 
successor oi the peaceful and meek Mr. Fall. He was a stray 
sheep, knowing no road in Judaism, having in his mind that 
everything hitherto forbidden was now free to partake of, and, 
once having come to that conclusion, no fence to check his de- 
moralizing speed was left. He was a Mr. Freuder, originally 
from Minneapolis and an Hungarian by birth. No sooner 
has he assumed charge of the Bnai Israel than disagreement 
dissension and discontentment arose among the members and 
it threatened tO' overthrow the entire construction built with the 
sweat and blood of the pioneers. Freuder was soon dismissed, 
but his last act which was tO' declare himself a convert to 
Christianity, caused still more uproar in the Jewish commun- 
ity until a report of one meeting reads that not a single mem- 
ber would pledge himself to contribute toward the salary of a 
minister. He did it to spite the Jews of Davenport, but many 
even of the sound-minded among them, at the time, would not 
consider the fact that it was for the good of Judaism that he 
has thus exposed himself, and, instead, their indignation was 
directed against the religion of their fathers. But that was 
only a whirlwind which lasted but a few moments, and no 
sooner did the sun appear than the entire horizon looked as 
bright as ever. The climax of the unpleasant event was reach- 
ed on September ii, 1892, during Mr. I. Rotschild's admin- 
istration, who had filled the unexpired term of Louis A. Ochs 
after the latter resigned. That meeting was the most disorderly 
one in the history of the Davenport Jewry, for no business 
could \ye transacted and no officers were possible to choose. 



THE DAVENPORT JEWRY 283 

Mr. M. Raphael, though old, undertook to pacify the disturbed 
minds and that great pioneer succeeded most remarkably in 
his undertaking, for soon the Jewish horizon in Davenport 
was brightened and the cloud disappeared. 

Another great champion to fight the cause of justice to 
everybody was Mr. D. Rotschild, Sr., and, while the cloud was 
hanging to overshadow the glory of the community, he was the 
bright star to herald the future dawn of the golden period of 
unity and concord. Hitherto all such members who' lived in 
Rock Island and Moline, Illinois, have not received an equal 
share of benefits in the Bnai Israel congregation, although 
they have paid dues as well as their Davenport brethren. 
When the Temple was built they also have contributed accord- 
ingly, and when they were not permitted to^ serve on the school 
board, etc., a general murmur was current among them and 
they were about to sever their connections with the Bnai Israel. 
Mr. D. Rotschild, Sr., took up their cause and championed it 
vigorously until he succeeded in gaining for them final equal- 
ization. Among the prominent members of the Illinois side 
of the Mississippi who assisted every undertaking of Bnai 
Israel are : W. A. Roisenfield, A. Rosenfieid, Joseph Rosenfield, 
Mrs. Julia E. Rosenfield, M. A. Loeb, M. C. Rice, Rock Is- 
land, and Sol. Hirsh, Simon Hirsh and L. Rosenstein, Moline. 
The Roisenfield family, although geographically living in Illin- 
ois, are, and have been identified in all matters of religion and 
benevolence of Iowa, and theirs is another great name which 
has been glorified with wealth, honor and philanthropy during 
the course oif events among the Jews of Iowa. 



284 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



On February 19, 1892, Rev. J. Kahn was elected to direct 
the spiritual affairs of the Bnai Israel and from that day the 
congregation continued to proceed from strength to strength 
until it has become the leading Reform Jewish community in 
Iowa. Rev. Kahn served the Bnai Israel for three years, and 
after him, Rev. Maurice Thorner was elected. During the 
latter's first year Mr. D. Rotschild was chosen president of the 
congregation and Mr. Martin Silberstein became a factor in 
the Davenport Jewry. During the years 1897- 1900, Mr. 
Joseph Ochs presided over the congregational affairs and his 
administration was marked with great success. The present 
minister. Rev. W. H. Fineshriber, who is still a young man, 
leads his flock, with extraordinary ability, according to 
the Cincinnati platform and enjoys the esteem of Jew and 
Gentile alike. 

In commerce and industry the Davenport Jewry even ex- 
cels Des Moines, for, according to the size of the population, 
the former has more merchants and men of wealth than the 
latter. There is a remarkable absence of artisans among the 
Jews of Devenport, for most of the newly arrived immigrants 
are resorting to peddling, although some of them are tailors, 
shoe makers, bakers and carpenters. The most prominent one 
in the Davenport Jewry to exert some political influence is 
Martin Silberstein, but there is, however, not one among them 
who cares for political jobs. In their relationship with their 
Gentile brethren they are equal to the Des Moines and Sioux 
City Jews and even closer, for they frequently exchange min- 
isters and pulpits and the brotherhood of man cannot be closer 



THE DAVENPORT JEWRY 285 

together than when the Jews hsten to a sermon dehvered in 
their synagogue by a Gentile preacher and when the Gentiles 
invite a Jewish Rabbi tO' preach in their churches. 

Orthodoxy cannot gain any stronghold in Davenport, and 
the few orthodox Jewish families, who are uncompromising 
and are living in Davenport have to cross the Mississippi to 
Rock Island in order to enjoy good old fashioned Judaism. 
It is as hard for a Davenport Jew to be an orthodox 
as it is for a Rock Island Jew to be a reformer, and, whether 
Iowa or Illinois has the best of Judaism the future will chron- 
icle. 

Rock Island is a unique little Jewish community. It is a 
ghetto in the full meaning of the word. All keep Sabbath. 
Friday evening puts a holy garb over that part of Rock 
Island where stands the beautiful little schule. Through every 
window of a Jewish habitation lurk the Sabbath can- 
dles. Every maiden wears the identical blush of her ghetto 
sister in the hands of exile. One forgets he is in the rushing 
center of the Trio City when he comes into the little synagogue 
and beholds young and old gracing the Sabbath in a 
most orthodox way. Here again the European Jew sees the 
sacredness of ancient Judaism winking untO' him from every 
bench, from the almemer, through the candlesticks — but, be- 
hold, the tapers of electricity which burst through the chande- 
liers marks the great change! The Jewry which now numbers 
about five hundred Jewish souls, was founded in 1881, by Mr. 
M. Morris, who came from Slabody, Province Suwalk, and 
when the oiutbreak in Southern Russia left so> many of the Jews 



286 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



homeless, quite a number of them came to Rock Island in 
search of a home and bread. Mr. Morris became the dealer, 
while all other Jews were ''his peddlers." Since, Mr. Morris be- 
came an influential business man, while all the other Jews of 




ISAAC ROTHSCHILD 

Rock Island are faring quite prosperoiisly. They teach their 
children as they were instructed themselves and for Jewishness 
Rock Island remains matchless among the smaller Jewish com- 
munities in Amjerica. Among the others who have taken care of 



THE DAVENPORT JEWRY 



287 



the weal of the Rock Island Jewry are, Simon Louis, Jacob 
Taxman, N. Baker and S. Silverman. The latter is of the old 
type Jewish teachers who sacrificed his health in his efforts to 
perpetuate Judaism among the young Americans. 




MRS. ROSA ROTHSCHILD 



There was not a single Jew, since the Davenport Jewry was 
founded, sentenced for any felony, and only four Jews were in- 
mates of the Scott county jail during the years 1848-96. The 



288 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



family love, singular to Jewish life, holds sway in Davenport 
also, and only three divorce cases appear on the records be- 
tween the years 1865- 1893. Only one case of insanity appears 
during the entire history of the Jews of Davenport and not a 
single Jew or Jewess were ever sent to a county or state 
asylum. 

The Davenport Jewry has in its midst a niece of the late 
baron Berthold Auerbach, the poet — the only Jewish lady in 
Iowa connected with a titled family — whose name is Rose 
Rothschild (born 1846). Her husband, Mr. I. Rothschild 
(born 1844) is one of the foremost Jewish citizens in Iowa, 
and at one time was one of the wealthiest merchants of Dav- 
enport. He of all the Davenport Jewish pioneers, has the most 
romantic career back of him, but, notwithstanding the triumph 
of fate over his wealth, he retains his unimpeachable reputa- 
tion and is, even today, one of the influential and most dis- 
tinguished members of the Davenport Jewry. 

Mrs. Rosa Rothschild, besides her remarkable distinction, 
is a lady of great esteem and very useful in every noble under- 
taking of the Davenport ladies. 

On the whole the Davenport Jewish community is a model 
in itself and there are many families in Davenport, who, in the 
future, will be leading factors in the making of Jewish history 
in this glorious land. 



THE SIOUX CITY JEWRY 289 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE SIOUX CITY JEWRY, 1869-I9O3. 

Sioux City — Classification of the Jews — Cemetery Was First 
Thought of Pioneers — Godfrey Hattenbach^ — Founder of 
Cities — The Cer Zedek of Iowa — Second Rally of a Relig- 
ious Nature^ — Disinterment — Arrival of Persecuted Jews — 
Adventures of Orthodoxy — Ladies Inaugurate Movement 
to Build a Temple — Sioux City Jewry Starts on a Golden 
Career. 

After the Civil War it came to pass, that zeal, indefatig- 
ableness, sound-mindedness, steadfastness, civilization, labor 
and craftiness formed an amalgamation and invaded the rocky 
hills, dreary valleys and cheerless plains round about an in- 
signficant townlet bearing the name of a savage tribe and, in 
but one score and ten years, turned the entire dreadful pano- 
rama into pleasant heights, kingly dales and picturesque 
avenues adorned with palatial residences, magnificant structures 
rising far above the level of the Missouri ; busy working plants 
producing fabulous wealth, prosperous business establishments 
combating each other in affluence and magnitude, immense 
school houses accommodating thousands of fairy-like young- 
sters in their pursuit of knowledge, tens of thousands of sturdy 



290 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



men and beautiful women — all of whom testify the greatness, 
progressiveness, wealth and happiness which hold sway in the 
fair municipality known on the map as Sioux City, Iowa. 

In that city, among sixty thousand others, dwell close to 
two thousand souls of the House of Israel. Some of them 
proudly bear the stamp of Americanism, others are still climb- 
ing to reach that summit, while still others are as yet in full 
possession of the token of the wandering Jew. Some enjoy the 
pleasure of purchasing and disposing of Sioux City's treasured 
soil, others are numbered among the princely merchants and 
captains of industry, while still others are happy to mend the 
cast off garments of Sioux City's privates and hire out the 
strength of their mbscles for bread and home. Some worship 
Jehovah after the latest fashion, others are scheming a new de- 
sign to suit the taste of the rising generation, while still others 
are continuing to worship even as the lark sings, without art, 
without a fixed scale. 

The Mount Sinai Temple lurks through the fashionable 
residences on the heights, and the Adath Yeshurun synagogue 
is hidden among the plain dwellings on the brink of a dale. 

It is very remarkable that the few Jewish pioneers of Sioux 
City should have thought of death before ever any form of an 
organization was considered. In Keokuk we have met the 
early Jews struggling to plant the seed of benevolence in their 
midst ; in Davenport, we found them craving for Kosher meat ; 
in Des Moines we beheld them longing for prayers and, strange 
indeed, in Sioux City we have to chronicle their anxiety about 
sepulchres. For, in 1869, when their entire number did not 



THE SIOUX CITY JEWRY 



291 



exceed twenty-five souls, a meeting took place among them 
and its prime object was a cemetery. Mr. Godfrey Hatben- 
bach donated a certain lot, in "Coal's Addition" of that city, 
for the use of a Jewish burying-place, which was accepted and 
used as a cemetery till October 29, 1884. This incident, how- 




MT. SINAI TEMPLE -SIOUX CITY 

ever, was of great importance to the IMount Sinai congrega- 
tion, for it actually traces back its history to that year, not- 
withstanding the fact that no formal organization existed prior 
to 1884. 

Through a chain of incidents connected with the romantic 
career of Mr. Hattenbach the Sioux City Jewry— although 
very small in number during the entire period of activity 



292 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



among other Jewries of Iowa — has been making Jewish his- 
tory in several different ways. Thi« fact also places Mr. Hat- 
tenbach among the leading Jewish pioneers of Iowa and the 

northwest. 




THE LATE WM HATTENBACH 



Godfrey Hattenbach was born in Darmstadt, Hess-Casseb 
Germany, March 13, 181 3, and at the age of twenty-six he 
landed in Baltimore, where he commenced his career in this 
country as a peddler and laborer of all manners of hard work. 



THE SIOUX CITY JEWRY 293 

Finding but little prosperity and still less delight in his various 
enterprises he came to Missouri (1848) and made a handsome 
fortune by peddling and subsequently by conducting a general 
store in St. Joseph, the town he assisted in laying out. During 
1852-53, he was engaged in auction and commission business 
in Cincinnati, Ohio, but, havinge met with several reverses 
he came out West and settled himself in Council Bluffs, Iowa, 
where he established a general sto^re. He was a genuine 
specimen of the wandering Jew and coiuld not forbear too 
^much sameness and tranquility, and whenever he could find 
something to invest his genius in he was ready for action with- 
out hesitation. He left Council Bluffs and came to 
a piece of territory on the bank of the Mississippi river 
about ten miles below Sionx City where a town was 
about to be founded. He plunged into the project at 
once and invested his entire capital as well as his en- 
ergy, time and hard labor in building up the town which 
was named Omadi, Nebraska, (1855.) But even there he re- 
fused to remain longer than two years, and in 1857, he landed 
opposite Sioux City, on the Nebraska side oif the Missouri river, 
and laid out the town of Covington, Neb. There he was greet- 
ed with bright prospects arid, relying upon good hopes, he 
built a hotel and made preparations to establish himself per- 
manently. But the natural elements were very cruel to him, for 
no sooner was he at ease that a storm swept his plant clear off 
of its foundation. He rebuilt the hotel and continued in Cov- 
ington persistently. And another storm struck his inn. Cruel, 
indeed. He was left without means, disheartened and dis- 



294 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



mayed. But his undaunted courage did not yield to fate's 
blows and, no sooner was he able to realize the shock than he 
was determined as ever to fight his battle for existence. 

The fate of Omadi was inundation, a havoc storm lifted the 
Missouri above its shores and washed away the entire work 
of men. Covington was subsequently merged intO' the pres- 
ent South Sioux City, Neb. 

Mr. Hattenbach became a fisher, out of which he made 
money enough to start the first billard room in Sioux City 
(1858.) Having again acquired a handsome fortune he con- 
cluded to return tO' Cincinnati, which he did. There he was 
engaged in the cigar manufacturing business for three years 
and, for some reason, again returned to Sioux City, where he 
remaine until his death. (August 12, 1879.) 

While thus moving around, building, struggling, suf- 
fering, and triumphing, Mr. Hattenbach was blessed with 
six sons and one daughter, and that fair daughter of 
Judah was destined to honor the Iowa Jewry in a 
unique way. A most worthy young American, a des- 
cendant of a prominent Gentile family, named D. A. Ma- 
gee, fell in love with her and, seeing no other way to 
make the young Jewess his own, Mr. Magee went to Cincin- 
nati and became a full fledged Israelite according to the laws 
of Moses and Israel. Having entered the covenant of Abra- 
ham, he came home and imparted the news to all of his friends 
and relatives and told them that within their midst will he con- 
tinue as a Jew. He might justly be styled the Ger Zadek 
(righteous proselyte) of the Iowa Jewry, for not only has he 



THE SIOUX CITY JEWRY 293 

proved his sincerity at the time he married Mr. Hattenbach's 
only daughter, but from the very first minute the Jews of 
Sioux City formed an organization even unto this day he con- 
tinued to take an active part in all Jewish matters. 

Subsequently the citizens of Sioux City honored Mr. Ma- 
gee and chose him as the mayor of their fair city, for he be- 
came wealthy as a packer, and influential among Jew and Gen- 
tile alike. Appreciating this fact, the Iowa Jewry might well 
boast itself of the most worthy Ger Zedek in the whole history 
of the Jews of the United States. 

During the years 1869-84, several prominent families lo- 
cated themselves in Sioux City, and most of them^ were success- 
ful in every one of their undertakings. No services were held, 
noif Orthodoxy in any form was resorted to prior to the arrival 
of a sufficient number of Russian and Polish Jews toi constitute 
a mynion which, however, did not come to pass before 1892. 

The first meeting held under the auspices of the majority 
of the Sioux City Jews took place on June 2y, 1884, when the 
Mount Sinai Cemetery Association was called into existence. 
Those w^ho took an active interest in forming the organization 
D. A. Magee secretary, while Sig Shulien and Ch. Wise 
Magee, J. M. Cohen, J. Feldenheimer, S. Greenwald, H. Hey- 
man and M. Wise. Joseph Shulien was chosen president and 
D. A. Magee, secretar}^, while Sig. Shulien and Ch. Wise 
were appointed to secure suitable ground for a cemetery. On 
the 5th day of August following the association w^as incorpor- 
ated and, as they have purchased a tract of ground adjoining 



296 THE JEWS OF IOWA 

the Floyd Cemetery, the city council, on the above date, passed 
an ordinance giving the right to the Mount Sinai Cemetery 
Association to pass over and use in common the main avenue 
in that cemetery. 

Between October 29th, and November 2nd, of that year 
the bodies of the old cemetery were disinterred and laid to rest 
in newly dug graves upon the new one, although at that time, 
as it was yet before th Pittsburg Confrence, disinterment 
was not practiced even among the radical wing of American 
Jewry. The Orthodox law permits it only in cases where to 
leave the dead in their original sepulchres would mean a de- 
secration to them, otherwise the dead are not to be disturbed. 
The ground work of Reform constructed by the Sioux City 
Jewry commences deep, indeed. 

A still greater record in the annals of the Iowa Jews was 
broken when the Jewish ladies have organized themselves 
(1884) with a view of raising funds and inducing their hus- 
bands to erect a house of worship. The Deborah-like women 
were quite a few in number when their Hebrew Ladies' Aid 
Society was formally declared ready for existence. The lead- 
ing spirit of the wise movement was Mrs. J. M. Cohen and the 
charter members were: Mesdames J. Shulien, J. Marks, D. 
A. Magee, M. Wise, Sig. Shulien, (deceased) Ch. Wise and J. 
Feldenheimer. The main object of the ladies, however, was to 
help the poor and needy. 

The second rally of the Sioux City Jewry, although full of 
vitality at its appearance, did not succeed in infusing the need- 
ed amount of life in it, for it soon sunk in a deep lethargy and 
Judaism was only thought of when the Kadish was recited over 



THE SIOUX CITY JEWRY jg- 



the grave of a parent, brother, sister, child or relative. The 
Jewish spirit which kept them together was a mere ghost of 
little more consequence than a shadow. Everything they had 
gained during their childhood, everything their parents had im- 
bued within them vanished form their memories, and nothing 
new could come and knock at their gates since no effort was 
endeavored prior to 1898, to form a congregation and engage 
the services of a minister. But, how wonderful has their inden- 
tity been preserved, notwithstanding all these! , 

About 1888, some of the Russian refugees, who were still 
penetrating the globe in groups searching work, rest and 
peace, chanced to land in Sioux City, and from that time on- 
ward the Orthodoix Jewry of that city kept pace with all the 
larger Jewries of Iowa. There possibl}- could not have been 
any form of compromise between the Americanized Germans 
or Germanized Lithuanians and the pauperized Russians or 
Russianized paupers at the time of the latter's arrival; 
for, although all of them were Jews, they, nevertheless' 
were as far apart as the poles in their religious convic- 
10ns, mannerism and dress. The Chassidic immigrant 
would no more yield to partake of a meaf which A^-as 
noit prepared according to the Mosaic dietary laws than 
would his more fortunate American brother consent to go to 
Russia and become prey to the remorseless mob of the czar's 
domain. They could neither eat nor worship together. Deep 
in the bottom of their hearts, however, began their unity. The 
Chassid pitied his American brother because the latter failed 
to wear fringes {Zizeth) or phylacteries {Tphiliu) as much 
as he himself was pitied for not having a place where to rest 
his head upon. 



298 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



But the Russian, Polish and Roumenian Jews did not de- 
pend themselves upon the aid of their wealthier brethren — they 
have at once, went to work. And while they cannot boast of 
great wealth, they can, nevertheless, pride themselves in w^hat 
they have accomplished in but one decade. The Orthodox Jews 
of Sioux City, on the average, are the poorest Jewish inhabi- 
tants in Iowa, yet they all are happy because of the liberty and 
concord they enjoy, because they are all making their livings 
without being in danger to be deprived of the little they have 
got,* because they have considerably more than they ever could 
have in the lands of persecution. Yet, there are some of 
them who figure prominently among the business men of Sioux 
City, and if all who are from the same lands of torture and de- 
privation would not Germanize themselves, their average 
wealth would increase marvelously and among them would be 
found quite a number of the aristocracy of the Sioux City 
Jewry. 

But despite of all the disadvantages, they are existing under 
one congregation and are climbing the steps of the ladder of 
progress with remarkable courage and steadfastness. In char- 
ity and in helping new comers who met with a fate similar 
to their own, they are foremost among the Orthodox Jews 
in Iowa, and their sincerity in retaining Orthodoxy as their 
standard cannot be questioned. Prominent among them are: 
the Krugers, Brodky, Barons, Prusners, Isaac Gottstein, son of 
Simon Gottstein, one of the pioneers of Des Moines, Hymon 
Levin and quite a few others. Most of the younger element 
are working in factories, shops, packing houses and the like^ 
while some have resorted to farming and are doing quite well. 



THE SIOUX CITY JEWRY 299 

There are also' many clerks, stenographers, tailors and shoe- 
makers among them. Yet there is quite a large percentage of 
peddlers and more than a few second-hand dealers of all kinds 
among them. On the whole only praise can be bestowed upon 
their short career when their condition at the time oi their ar- 
rival is taken under consideration. 

The have, as small as their community was at that time, 
managed to maintain quite a scholarly Rabbi, whose name is 
S. H. Kaversky, now Rabbi at St. Paul, Minn., for several 
years. Their second minister who' served them in the capacity 
of schochet and chazan is a son of the late Rabbi Rabbi Rohin- 
owitz of Chicago, III, who was considered among the greatest 
Yiddish-speaking Rabbis that ever came to America. But the 
more progressive element is endeavoring every effort to induce 
the congregation Adath Yeshurun to engage the services of an 
English-speaking Rabbi who could perpetuate Judaism among 
the young who were born in Woodbury county and know 
neither of ghetto Judaism nor of Chassidic jargon. 

Reform Judaism in Sionx City begins with the dawn of 
the Jewish year 5659, (Nov. 11, 1898) and during the com- 
paratively short time it has invaded every prosperous Jewish 
house in that city, and its effect upon the young generation is 
most wonderful. The Mount Sinai congregation belongs to 
the radical wing of Reform, having inaugurated Sunday 
services and sheltering not a single Sepher Tovah (scroll of the 
Pentateuch) in their Temple. Strange, indeed, that the Law 
of Mo'Ses should be banished from Mount Sinai. Yet there 



3oo THE JEWS OF IOWA 

can be found no other community where the Jews exhibit more 
proudness of their ancestry, more thoroughly Jewish traits 
than the Reform Jews of Sioux City. 

Their temple was built largely through the efforts of the 
ladies, and the man frankly admit that had it not been for the 
heroic efforts of the Jewish women no such place for Judaism 
in Sioux City would as yet have been made a matter of fact. 
Their first services were conducted at the Masonic Temple, 
which is, indeed, very complimentary to both, the Masons and 
the Jews. 

During the years 1899- 1902, Rabbis Ellinger and Leiser 
have officiated, both of whom resigned much to the regret of 
their constituents. But, forsooth, the golden period of the Mt. 
Sinai congregation dawned when Rabbi Eugene Manheimer, 
son oi Professor Manheimer of the Hebrew Union College, 
was chosen as its spiritual guide. The youthful Rabbi has even 
gained the admiration of the Orthodox Jews and he, in return, 
takes care of the latter's children, for the Orthodox Jews have 
no Hebrew school whatever. 

The officers and leaders of the congregation since its in- 
ception were: Sig. Shulien, Ch. Wise, A. L. Frieberg, the 
anly Jewish attorney in Sioux City, J. M. Cohen, Julius Pappe, 
B. Davidson, D. Davidson, I. J. Trauerman, Dr. M. E. Silver 
and D. A. Magee. 

Mr. Ch. Wise was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 
28, 1848, and is quite a pioneer in Iowa, having come to 
Sioux City in March, 1867. He was also the first Jew in Iowa 



THE SIOUX CITY JEWRY 301 

tO' take up the packing industry as a vocation in life. He is 
blessed with wealth and honor and belongs to the Jewish aris- 
tocracy of Iowa, for the late Senator Bloom of Iowa City, was 
his brother-in-law. 




CHARLES WISE 



Mr. Sig. Shulien is the most prominent Mason among the 
Jews of Sioux City, and the entire Shulien family hold an 
honorable position among the wealthy class of the Iowa Jews. 



302 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Mr. Julius Pappe is one of the remaining few pioneers of 
the Jews of Iowa, whose career has been a credit to the Jews at 
large. He was born in 1852, and came to his uncles at Fort 
Madison when but a mere youth. He was the Grand Chan- 
celor of the Order K. P. of the state of Iowa, and served three 




JULIU5 PAPPE 

terms on the Sioux City school board, four years of which he 
was president oi the board. 

The Jewry of Sioux City is as yet in its infancy, but it has 
plenty of mettle to make for itself a stronghold of both Or- 
thodox and Reform Judaism in the northwest. 



OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 303 



CHAPTER XXII. 

KEOKUK, BURLINGTON, DUBUQUE AND OTHER ORGANIZED AND 
SEMI-ORGANIZED JEWRIES IN IOWA, 1873-I9O3. 

Decline of Oldest Congregation — Judaism Suffers in Burling 
ton — Cradle of Iowa Jewry Holding Its Own — Muscatine 
— Centerville — Cedar Rapids — Oskjaloiosa — Ottumiwa — 
Council Bluffs — Unorganized Mynionim' — Religious Sta- 
tistics oi all Iowa Jewries. 

KEOKUK, at the conclusion of the Civil War sheltered 
the largest Jewry in Iowa, and, in everything Jewish, it has, 
at that time, excelled its sister cities of Iowa, Nebraska, Colo- 
rado, Minnesota, both of the Dakotas and Kansas. In fact 
the history of the Jews west of the Missouri river begins in 
Keokuk. But, "everything is depending upon fortune, even 
a Sepher Torah in the temple," runs a Talmudic maxim, and 
the truth thereof is best illustrated in the career of the Bnai 
Israel congregation of Keokuk today. 

The "golden age" of the Keokuk Jewry comprises the space 
of time between the years 1872-95; the same period marked 
also the flow and ebb of that city's commercialism. 

The soul of the Keokuk Jewry were the godly ladies, who, 
immediately after the reorganization of the Bnai Israel, form- 



304 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



ed a benevolent society, aiming, at first, to leave on that field 
of humanity nothing undone. But, as God bestowed His bless- 
ings upon all of the children of Israel who lived in and about 
Keokuk, the Jewish mothers concluded to inaugurate a move- 
ment with another sacred mission as its stronghold, which was 
to establish a permanent House of God. About that time 
(1872) the ladies had a fund of $800 in their treasury and^ 




KECKUK TEMPLE 

realizing that that sum was a handsome start for a successful 
result, they voted to purchase a lot whereon to erect a syna- 
gogue and present it to the Bnai Israel congregation. Their 
husbands embraced the golden opportunity of setting them- 
selves to work earnestly and give Judaism a suitable home. 
Their broad-minded and big-hearted neighbors, the Christians, 
too', responded most liberally to every invitation extended to 
themi to attend charitoble gatherings given under the auspices 
of the ladies of the Bnai Israel congregation. And, thus, the 
task was most successfully carried to a happy conclusion. 



OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 305 

The Bnai Israel Temple was completed in 1874, and dedi- 
cated during the same year. The cost of the magnificent struc- 
ture was $12,000, and is, even unto this day, the finest syna- 
gogue in Iowa. 

The following ministers have filled the pulpit of the Bnai 
Israel synagogue since it was erected : Marcussohn, Suggen- 
heimer, Blaut, Swede, Strauss, F. Becker, Joseph Bogen and 
Tesler. The latter while in Keokuk, studied medicine and 
subsequently married a daughter of Mr. Louis Solomon the 
Civil War veteran, and is now a physician of prominence in 
St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Tesler was also the Hebrew teacher 
of the short lived Talmud Torah of Des Moines. 

In tendency and conduct the Bnai Israel has continued on 
a conservative platform although many drifts away from Or- 
thodoxy were taken in recent years. However, when the tide 
of radicalism inundated the historic Judaism of many commun- 
ities, Keokuk also comes in for a goodly bulk of the flow. 

But Time and Fate dealt overwhelmingly cruel with the 
historic Jewry of the northwest, and, alas, much of the old 
glory of that community has disappeared along with the by- 
gone days. As soon as the Iowa prairies, hill and vales were 
harnessed by belts of steel and iron, as soon as the whistle of 
steam and the current of electricity have broken through the 
inland air of the Hawkeye state, the river-front towns yielded 
their birth-right to their younger sisters ; and, noi sooner have 
those towns lost their prestige as centers of commerce and in- 
dustry, than many of the Jewish merchants and artisans had 
to seek other fields on which to spread their industrious wings. 



3o6 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Many Jewish families, who had raised their children in the 
picturesque Keokuk, to their deep sorrow, had to tear away 
their young ones from their playmates and nativity; for, the 
town had absolutely too many merchants with but remarkably 
few chances to increase in commercial and industrial import- 
ance. But this, by no means, is illustrated to reduce the town 
to insignificance, for it is a city of nearly twenty-five thousand 
inhabitants with quite a number of enterprises; yet it is mostly 
looked upon as a residential city, and for that, Keokuk is, in- 
deed, most excellent. 

Today the number of Jewish souls in Keokuk, including 
two Russian- Jewish families who lately settled there, does not 
exceed eighty. And, because of their small number, no regular 
minister has been engaged for the past several years, and it is, 
indeed, a pitiful sight to go through the magnificent synagogue 
and realize that the work of sO' many pioneers, of so many 
heroic efforts, is at the verge of doom, because of the lack of 
numbers. The artistic synagogue, the old Sepher Torahs, the 
old M'gilah (scroll of the Book of Esther) half eaten by rats, 
the two wooden tablets with the inscription of the Ten Com- 
mandments thereon, (which is the masterly handwork of 
Henry Hirsch, the only Burlingtonian taking an interest in 
Judaism) as well as the sad but picturesque little cemetery 
including all other belongings of the Bnai Israel, tell many 
valuable tales, and an interesting chapter of the Jews and Juda- 
ism in America. The dumb articles speak volumes unto us; 
from them we learn about the dreams, sentiments, taste, in- 
tellect, progress, woes and joys of the heroic sons of Israel who 



OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 307 

have braved every element, defied every danger, climbed every 
height, cro'ssd every depth in making a path, aye, a secured 
path, for their successors ! 

BURLINGTON has kept up its irreligious sentiments and 
radical disposition most remarkably, and any compromise be- 
tween its Jews and Judaism ended in ultimate futility. They, 
too, have fortified themselves against death by purchasing an 
acre or so of Des Moines county soil and consecrated it by 
depositing the remains of those who were born Jews. Outside 
of a Jewish grave yard there is no sign of Jewishness among 
the living sons of Israel in that busy city. They seem to have 
rooted deep in their hearts an antipathy for Judaism, and, while 
very cordial, talking of everything else, they are apt to turn 
their shoulder upon everyone whoi might approach them on the 
subject of Judaism. The contrast between Keokuk and Bur- 
lington is most striking. . In the former we meet a handful 
of Jews bewailing the fate oif Judaism and struggling to do 
their utmost in preserving it, while in the latter we find quite 
a prosperous community of pioneers and their children who 
would not even join the Bnai Brith society which Mr. Henry 
Hirsh is struggling to^ keep up; in the former we hear expres- 
sions of hope that, in some future day, when thrifty Russian 
and Romanian Jews will settle themselves there, the Bnai Israel 
will again flourish, while in the latter the only hope entertained 
is, that in some future day, when the old will be laid to rest in 
eternity, the young also will remember to keep the cemetery in 
good order. 

But even Burlington, once upon a time, had a congregation, 
Judaism and a minister which fact must not be ignored. It 






3o« THE JEWS OF IOWA 



was in 1873, — that eventful year in the history of the Jews of 
Iowa — when Messrs E. M. Eisfeld, J. Shroeder, Solomon 
Hershler, Ben and Sigmund Eisicles, Jacob Epstein and a few 
more have gathered themselves together in solemn conference 
and organized a congregation. The purchase of a cemetery and 
the organization of a B. B. lodge followed during the subse- 
quent two years, and for a while the sudden rally seemed to 
contain vigorous vitality. The services of a Rev. Hecht were 
also engaged, but everything was short lived, and only the 
cemetery was left to tell the tale. Recently an effort was made 
by Miss Florence Hirsh, daughter of Henry Hirsh, to conduct 
a "Sunday School" for the benefit of the Jewish young who 
have no sort of religious training, but even that failed. There 
are many among the grown-up children of the pioneers who 
would feel much happier had they had the opportunity of gain- 
ing some knowledege concerning the sublimity of Judaism. 
Alas, the straying sons and daughters of Israel seek the path 
of God, but find it they can not ! 

Yet, notwithstanding all these, the Jews of Burlington are, 
and have been, successful merchants, patriotic citizens, good 
neighbors, charitable, honest, leaders in politics, lovers of edu- 
cation, brave as pioneers, potent factors throughout the history 
of that flourishing town, prominent in social circles, large con- 
tributors to every public institution, law-abiding, j>eaceful, fore- 
most in every reform movement, patronizers of music and art, 
admirers of genii and beauty and fair in their dealings. 

About 1890, several Jewish families of Russia settled them- 
selves in Burlington, and, as soon as they could number ten 
males over thirteen years of age, they have organized them- 



OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 309 

selves into a congregation and chartered it under the name of 
Anshai Isaac. A kind of a schochet, who also conducts a meat 
market and grocery store, is their spiritual leader; but so far 
but very little progress was made by the Anshai Isaac, for they 
are still un- Americanized and their conduct among themselves 
is anything but creditable to them. The only sensational 
trial among the Jews of Iowa that ever came before a 
court was in Burlington among the recent Jewish immigrants 
and the records preserved in the Burlington Press is indeed a 
stain upon the career of that Iowa Jewry. However, things 
among the new Jewish settlers are becoming more favorable. 
Materially and in relation to their neighbors, the Burlington 
Jews are doing quite well, and Messrs. Naiman, Kabaker and 
Gross are numbered among the leading merchants of the town. 

Burlington shelters the most distinguished Jewish physician 
in lorvva; his name is Dr. H. A. Lerpziger, originally from 
New York. He enjoys the esteemi and friendship of all 
citizens and his reputation as a physician and art of 
oratory is admired by a host of friends. 

Captain Charles Willner of Company H, loiwa State Mili- 
tia, is another Jew who does credit to the Iowa Jewry. By 
profession he is a lawyer and has an immense acquaintance 
throughout his district. 

Edward L. Hirsh is alsoi a promising young attorney and, 
in addition to his flattering start, he, oi all other Jewish young 
men, expresses hope that Judaism would some day come to 
stay in Burlington. 



3IO THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Indeed, Burlington has mettle enough to create a Jewry of 
no mean consequence, and, if they only would take the initiative 
step, their mistake of the past would be lost in the glory of a 
golden future. 

DUBUQUE, though the cradle of the Iowa Jewry, how- 
ever, could shelter no Judaism in its midst, because of the lack 
of numbers; but be it far from drawing a parallel between her 
and Burlington. The Dubuque pioneers founded a congrega- 
tion in 1862, and for a time it was a vigorous element among 
the rest of the Iowa Jewries. The Levi's and several other 
prominent pioneers were the leaders of the short lived congre- 
gation. It lasted for about seven years and had the good for- 
tune of engaging worthy ministers. Among the three gentle- 
men who guided the spiritual welfare of the Dubuque congre- 
gation was Rabbi H. J. Messing, who subsequently had a gol- 
den career in St. Louis, Mo. Since 1869, the Dubuque pioneers 
held services during many holiday seasons and have managed 
to give their children as much knowledge of Judaism as their 
fathers and teachers had instilled in themselves. 

In wealth and esteem the Dubuque Jewish pioneers stand 
second to none of the Iowa Jewries, and from among their 
children there arose none to discredit their fathers and mothers. 

But the Dubuque Jewry will have to be what the Russian 
and Polish Jews will make of it. A goodly number of them 
are already making headway toward a division, that is to have 
two congregations. 

During the flow of immigration a score of families landed 
in Dubuque and, as it has been the mission of the Russian 
Jews in all other towns where they have a sufficient number. 



OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 311 



they have organized a congregation and named it Knesseth 
Israel. (1894) At the lapse of a few years their number in- 
creased so that they could count twenty males above thirteen 
years of age' — a sufficient number to establish twoi Mynionim^ — 
and being from different sections of Russia and Poland they 
deemed it best to have two congregations, twoi schooltim and 
two sets of officers. The name of the second K'hilah suggests 
a lack of police force in the oldest Iowa city, and, more than 
that, it is the most unique name among the 760 Jewish con- 
gregations of the United States and Canada, for it is: "The 
JeziAsh Protection Club/' An orthodox Rabbi, whoi recently was 
called upon by the Dubuque Jewry to get things in shape among 
the Schochtin, however, claims, that the latter congregation 
needs that name for its protection against the more numerous 
Knesseth Israel. 

Thus we have a fair illustration of the development of the 
Russian Jewish communities in this country; for, there are 
many more new communities in Iowa and elsewhere throiugh- 
out the United States, which have religious differences of sim- 
ilar nature, which history cannot pass over without chronicl- 
ing the fact that such conditions exist only for a brief period 
and never lead to seriousness. They that come from the lands 
of persecution are the last to be a mischief making element; 
but, their sole comfort in exile was during the hours of prayer 
and devotion, during Sabbath and holidays, they are endeavor- 
ing every effort to^ preserve their religion in this coiuntry also 
in an identical manner. 

MUSCATINE has an organized Orthodox Jewry with 
all the necessities belonging thereto. Charles Fryer, L. 



312 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Rubenstein and Oscar Weintrauber landed in that beautiful 

little city in 1882, and when their number increased 
they have organized the congregation Bnai Moses (1890) 
and, notwithstanding their common poverty during the 
**early days," they have managed to build a little syna- 
gogue, buy two Sepher Torath and engage the services 
of a minister who acted as schochet, chazan and teach- 
er. They number about fifty families and are blessed 
with mtany and good children. For a time nearly all 
of them continued as peddlers, but now a number of them 
are engaged in various business enterprises, and are doing 
quite well. Mr. J. Bleeden, whose services were engaged im- 
mediately after the formation of their congregation, continues 
amiong them as their schochet even unto this day. S. 
L. Cohen, Charles Fryer and Greenblatt Brothers are among 
the leading merchants oi Muscatine, while M. Isaacson, L. 
Diamond and B. Goldstein are the leaders in congregational 
and charitable work among the peaceful, hard working Jews of 
that growing city. 

CENTERVILLE, too, comes in for its share of glory 
j'.mong the Iowa organized Jewries, and it certainly deserves a 
goodly bulk thereof. That honorable little Jewry was founded 
in 1 88 1, by Messrs. A. Greenspon, H. Chapman and Sam 
Friedlander, and, after the lapse of a decade their force was 
strong enough to organize a congregation. In 1892, the con- 
gregation Bnai Israel was chartered and funds for a syna- 
gogue were raised. Mr. R. Israel was the first minister of 
Centerville, who remained there several years, and was suc- 
ceeded by a Mr. D. Cohen. Their present minister is Mr. M. 



OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 313 

Levinsohn, and the little Khilah is growing in every branch 
of usefulness. They number about thirty families and are 
blessed with the largest percentage of school children O'f all 
the Jews of Iowa, for they have fifty children in the public 
schools, five in high school and two in college, something no 
twenty-five or thirty families of any other community can 
boast of. 

CEDAR RAPIDS has made quite an aggressive move 
during the past decade and shelters a well-to-do little Jewry 
in its midst. Some Jewish stragglers came to that town as 
early as i860, but Oscar Solomon holds the record of being its 
first permanent Jewish . settler. The Wolf family, which is 
figuring largely among the Jewish manufacturers of Iowa, 
are quiet pioneers in Cedar Rapids; so are the Wilner Broth- 
ers. But there was no form of a Jewish congregation among 
them, because of lack in numbers, prior to 1895, when a dozen 
i>r more Jewish families, mainly from Poland, reinforced 
iheir number. In that year a congregation bearing the signi- 
ficant name of Ehen Israel was chartered, and ever since they 
are growing in numbers and wealth. They have a schochet, 
who is also the Hebrew teacher, and constitute a handsome 
little Jewry of families. Mo'St of them are in business 
and occupy prominent positions in several branches of the 
commerce and industry of Cedar Rapids. 

O'SKALOOSA, the home of the Frankels, is quite a 
Jewish center of late. During the years 1890-95, a score or so 
of Jews of Southern Russia established themselves in that 
town as peddlers, junk dealers and second-hand dealers, and 
have organized a mynion. Later on several Lithuanians and 



314 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



other Jews of the Ashkenazic branch came there and, as the 
geographical and rehgious differences kept them separated ir^ 
the land of their captivity from their Southern brethren, they 
have, here toO', remained separate and formed a mynion for 
themselves. They, however, manage to keep one schochet. 
As regards religion they are pious and have not yet moved one 
iota from their early training. Some of them have already 
managed to form an amalgation with fortune and are at the 
heads of well-paying enterprises, while all others are getting 
along fairly. 

OTTUMWA owns a unique Jewry. There are Russians^ 
Lithunians, Romanians, Gabicians, Polish and Germans among 
them, and, yet, their entire number is less than a half hundred 
families. Among them are such who yet put on two different 
phylacteries every morning, or at least, if their statement is 
not mixed with hypocracy, they believe in doing so. But what 
is still the strangest is that among them are individuals who 
believe in no Judaism at all. One individual owns a Sepher 
Torah and had built a mikvah in the cellar of his house, and 
whenever he takes a notion he leaves the entire congregation 
destitute of everything. The main trouble with this kind of 
Jewish communities is, that somie self-appointed au- 
thorities, who are out through the countries to gather 
funds for some Jewish institutions of Jerusalem, Russia or New 
York City, when they come to just such towns they will act 
as rabbis and decide questions of grave importance which 
practically undermines the welfare of the Jewry for the next 
generation. Such individuals have been the cause of the down- 
fall of many little Jewries in the northwest as well as the cause 



OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 315 

of much trouble among the Orthodox Jews of the larger cit- 
ies in this section of the United States. The Ottumwa Jews 
are mostly in the junk and second-hand business, but there 
are quite a few shoe makers, tailors and laborers among them. 
One of them, Mr. Friedman, is holding a prominent position ^ 
among the leading merchants of that promising city. 

The German Jews at one time were quite numerous at 
Ottumwa and a congregation existed there for several years; 
but since 1884, most oif the pioneers died and the young who 
were left after themi, for various reasons, removed to other 
cities and towns where they established homes for themselves 
and thus does Ottumwa too-, bear witness toi a splendid record 
made by several Jewish pioneers. The Sox and the Adler 
families appear toi have figured quite prominently among the 
early Jcavs of Ottumwa. E. P. Adler, manager of the Daven- 
port Times, was born in Ottumwa and Jacob B. Sox is today 
one of the focremost merchants of that great Iowa town. 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, which has been the home of many 
Jewish pioneers, has, for a long time, looked for its Jewishness 
across the river to Omaha, Nebraska, and what Davenport was 
for the Rock Island Jewry, Omaha was for the Jewry of Coun- 
cil Bluffs. Lately, with the arrival of many Russian and Pol- 
ish Jewish immigrants, a congregation was organized and a 
movement was inaugurated toi build a synagogue. Their suc- 
cess in that resourceful town was remarkable during the past 
few years and the time is at hand when Council Bluffs will 
shelter one of the largest Jewries in the state, if only their rate 
of increase from Omaha and other sources will not diminish. 



3i6 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Julius Chemis, S. Freidman, Louis A. Bergman, J. Stein, 
Samuel L. Maman, L. Roseniield, M. Solomon, H. Gilinsky 
and several others are merchants of prominenece, while all 
others are tailors, laborers, junk dealers and peddlers — all of 
who-mi have every reason to bless Iowa. 

Among the unorganized Jewries who conduct services dur- 
ing Rosh ha Shanah and Yam Kipur are : Marshalltown, Fort 
Dodge, Mason City, Clinton, Cedar Falls, Boone, New Hamp- 
ton, Waterloo and Grinnell. 

There are now nineteen organized Jewish congregations 
in Iowa, who maintain twenty-one ministers at a cost of $15,- 
500 annually. The total membership of all Iowa congrega- 
tions runs up to 1,240, but usually among the Orthodox con- 
gregations there is a great percentage of Jews who are in sym- 
pathy with Judaism in every detail but are not members of any 
synagogue for one reason or another. The total meiiVoership of 
the four Reform congregations of Iowa is 169, but even the 
reformers have more than double that number of adherents 
who regularly visit their temples. 

The unorganized mynionim, which are scattered about in 
nine different Iowa towns and cities, comprise a Jewish popu- 
lation of 1,000 Jewish souls, while the nineteen congregations 
are located in cities of which the Jewish population is a little 
over 11,000. The amount expended for religious purposes 
including religious schools, by the Jews of Iowa during the 
year 1902-03, aggregated the gross sum of $31,575. This, 
however, does not include the expenditure of the unorganized 
communities of which no record is kept and no information 
possible to obtain. 



OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 317 

Judaism in Iowa is yet in its stage of development and 
forms only a small fraction of the great American Jewry, but 
its influence will reach far and wide in the near future when 
more unity and a closer relationship will exist among the var- 
ious faction of all Iowa communities. 



3i8 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

JEWISH CITIZENSHIP IN IOWA. 

w — 

The Jew in Politics — Peer of Iowa Jewry — Career of Senator 
Bloom — ^Jewish Commissioner of Emigration — D. I.. 
Heinsheimer — Other Jewish Office Holders in Iowa — 
First Orthodox Jewish Male Child of Des Moines Gains 
Prominence — The Only Jewish Captain of Iowa. 

The Jews, notwithstanding the disadvantages the world 
has kept them under for thousands of years, have always prov- 
ed themselves equal to every opportunity, and no sooner was 
the iron wall between them and liberty shattered than they 
have most wonderfully performed every task of righteous cit- 
izenship. The Hebrew nation was the first under the sun to 
recognize the rights even of the smallest minority, to inau- 
gurate equal rights for the stranger and citizen, to rule with 
the consent of the ruled, to protect the liberty of the individual 
as well as of the community and enjoy as much liberty as the 
word itself suggests. When the rights of human beings were 
taken away from them by the sword of the cruel and sceptre 
of the tyrant, the Jews have managed to conceal their agon- 
and continued to exist, knowing that no wrong has ever been 
invented for everlasting duration. When the first edict of 



CITIZENSHIP IN IOWA 319 



equalization was read before the delighted host of Austrian 
Jews, it was only the sound of the first letter of the word 
Liberty^ which echoed in the thoughtful minds of the free 
sons of Israel ; they knew that that was yet far behind of what 
the principles of liberty, promulgated by their ancestors of 
yore, provided for mankind. But their outward joy was equ'^l 
to the sentiments of that age, and nothing in their manner sug- 
gested lack of appreciation, although deep in their hearts there 
was still lodging a pitiful longing for liberty in its entirety. 

When the first Jewish citizen of the newly inaugurated 
government of the Thirteen States, found himself once more, 
after having nourished the breasts of a people which had con- 
tinued in captivity for seventeen centuries, a new men, he was 
not stricken with the reaction which usually follows the eman- 
cipation of an enslaved or subjected class; instead, he found 
therein a fountain of pure water to still his thirst with after 
an aimless wandering through numerous deserts. The same 
was true with every Jewish citizen of every newly organized 
state of this great land. 

The Jews of Iowa enjoy the distinction of having had 
one of their brethren to join Iowa citizenship during its ter- 
ritorial days, as it was pointed out in a previous chapter; and 
not only was he the first of among the Jews but even of all 
the whites who at that time sojourned in its midst, was he first 
to be naturalized. This distinction belonging to the late Mr. 
Alexander Levi of Dubuque, is the most remarkable and cred- 
itable in the history of the wandering nation in this land. 



320 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



As citizens of Iowa and the United States, the Jews are 
not surpassed by any foreign class ; for, not only are they law- 
abiding, peaceful and staunch patriots, but even in taxation and 
in other points combating the morality and usefulness of a cit- 
izen are they most distinguished. 

Politically they are of a less noise making nature than any 
other class; neither are they office-seekers to a tiring degree 
as is the case among other foreign classes who are supposed 
to control certain amounts of votes. Practically all the Jewish 
business men, after performing their sacred duties of voting, 
and voting after their own righteous convictions, have not a 
single moment to spare for political discussion, much less do 
they think of divorcing themselves from their businesses and 
hunt game in political forests and fields. The practice in some 
larger Iowa Jewries to organize ''Hebrew" clubs is only the 
initiative step of some who have not yet acquired the full mean- 
ing of citizenship. Naturally there are always several so- 
called leaders who rival to boss tke "members," but even they 
are harmless to the cause of citizenship in Iowa, for they know 
not yet the thousand and one different ways of the American 
"ward politician" and, therefore, can produce but amusement. 
However, even their influence is felt in political quarters, and 
are sometimes controlling a city job worth $40 or $50 per 
month. But, as already stated, the Jewish business man, man- 
ufacturer, or financier, is entirely a stranger to any political 
organization of questionable motives. 

Notwithstanding all these, during their career of three 
score and ten years, the Jews of Iowa can well boast of several 



CITIZENSHIP IN IOWA 



321 



sons who were honored by their fellow-citizens, and who, with- 
out exception, have been worthy of the honor bestowed upon 
them. 

The peer of the Jewish public men in Iowa was the late 




X~r 






'^#^-^' 




THE LATE HON. MOSES BLOOM 

Senator Bloom) of Iowa City. He was a true model of the 
golden career of Israel in America, and his adventures are as 
full O'f interest as the romantic incidents which mark thi; 
sublimity of the history of the Jewish people. 



322 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Moses Bloom was born at Westhaven, Alasace, March 
28, 1834, and, as his father was a merchant of moderate means, 
the lad was given the benefit of a common school education 
and some knowledge in Hebrew. At the age of sixteen the 
youthful adventurer left his native land and his kindred and 
crossed the Atlantic with but a store of hopes to his name. 
Landing in New York, his thoughts were at once concen- 
trated on one subject — the subject of miaking a living. For 
one year he struggled in the great metropolis in several differ 
ent enterprises, but he only could count himself as his sole pos- 
session of America's good. He was proud of his French nativ- 
ity, and the thought of yielding his shoulders to the weight of 
a heavy pack was very displeasing to his fancy ; but he could see 
no other way, could find no other opening for some sort of a 
promising future. 

Hagerstown, Maryland, was his headquarters for nearly 
three years, and while there he penetrated several counties of 
that state and of Pennsylvania,carrying a heavy pack and study- 
ing at the same time, the mannerism, language, condition and 
prospects of the American ruralists who practically constitute 
the greatest and foremost class in this country. He had no 
other kind of schooling in this country, but that was sufifici- 
ent for his genial mind, and in the future it came in very 
handy. His manhood was shaped close to nature, and his 
habits were acquired in the greatest section of morality and 
abstinance in America — on the American farm. When the 
temptations of youthfulness are most apt to drag the youth 
downward, he found himself in most stern and sincere en- 
vironments, where infidelity has no home and evil finds no rest. 



CITIZENSHIP IN IOWA 323 

But he claimed more than common sense, morals and hon- 
esty in return for his ceaseless toil, he was ambitiuos to partake 
of earthly bliss as well, and he was determined to get it, hon- 
estly, too. 

About that time he heard of the great openings in the West 
— the section where but recently the savage was hunting for 
prey. Thither he concluded to direct his steps, with but 
little hesitation, and, soon his feet fathomed the pathless 
prairies oif the youthful Iowa. And, he was just the kind 
of man Iowa pioneers looked for tO' trade with. 

The old Iowa capital, Iowa City, he selected as his future 
home, and there, amidst the Johnson county early tillers, he 
built his nest and made himself coimifortable. His modesty, 
honesty, fidelity and fairness soon attracted more than local 
attention, and the path of a glorious career was cleared for 
him. 

He married in i860, but hardly a year of joy elapsed be- 
fore his heart was filled with the burden and care of doing his 
utmost as a patriot in preserving the Union. Hitherto he 
was known to the people of Johnson county as an honest, up- 
right merchant, who strove for their good opinion as well as 
for his business, but how astonished were they to see him for- 
sake every one oi his thoughts and devote himself entirely to 
the cause nearest his heart, to the cause his country began 
to pursue. The patriotism of Mr. Blooms was an 
inspiration to thousands of others, and not a murmur was 
heard, in and about the immediate vicinity over which his in- 
fluence had been spread, about the strenuous policy of the ad- 



324 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



ministration, notwithstanding the numerous dissensions which 
sprang forth in many other places of Iowa during the Civil 
War. And he was, politically, a democrat, which added more 
to his glory in being such a staunch Federalist. 

His political career, which, be it said to his glory, he never 
aimed at, dates back to 1873 — that memorable year in the 
history of the Jews of Iowa. In that year his townsmen elect- 
ed him by a big majority to the mayorality of their city — an 
honor singular in itself, this being the first time an^ office of 
that kind was held by a Jew in the northwest. Mr. Bloom was 
indeed, equal to the situation, and Iowa City was ready to 
thrust the honor upon him again. But he modestly refused 
to accept the honor. 

In 1875, he was the unanimous choice of his party to rep- 
resent them in the State Legislature, but his republican oppo- 
nent was chosen by a majority of 17 votes — that being the only 
defeat sustained during his lifetime. In 1877, his party again 
nominated him, despite his repeated protests, and, this time.» 
he was elected by a flattering majority. 

That Mr. Bloom was at once recognized as a leading fac- 
tor in Iowa affairs is best illustrated in the fact that as soon 
as he entered the Legislature he was appointed to serve on 
four different committees, namely : on Public Buildings, In- 
surance, Police Regulation and Suppression of Intemperace. 
He was determined and steadfast in his convictions, for, on 
one occasion, he voted with the smjall maority of 3 against 97. 

To the struggling Jewish peddler he was a source of pro- 
tection and deliverance.- Whenever some member, upon the 



CITIZENSHIP IN IOWA 325 



request of the rural merchants, introduced a bill to inflict a 
heavy license upon the peddlers, Mr. Bloom championed the 
cause of the latter and always succeeded in his efforts. 

Mr. Bloom was not an orator, so to speak, but his charm- 
ing personality, his modesty, his convincing expressions and 
impressive gestures gave him at once the sympathy of his 
hearers and he carried every heart with him. 

Now it came to pass that the democrats of Iowa convened 
at Council Bluffs to nominate executive officers for the state 
of Iowa, and the entire convention hall echoed the name of 
Bloom, and cheer upon cheer followed when he was nomin- 
ated Lieutenant-Governor of the head state of the Upper 
Mississippi Valley. Never before in the history of the Jews 
in the no^rthwest did any member of the people of Israel figure 
so prominently before a state convention of a great party. But 
Mr. Bloom, for reasons best known to his silent grave, declin- 
ed the great honor at the very minute his career reached the 
summit of success. 

In 1887, he was elected to the State Senate, where he was 
one among the prominent members of that distinguished 
body of Iowa's representing citizens, and where he succeeded 
in compromising miany strifes oi grave importance. 

Mr. Bloomi was a prominent Mason, the founder of the 
Teutonic lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
Grand Chancellor of the Odd Fellows of Iowa and a director 
of the Johnson County Savings Bank, of which Governor 
Kirkwood was president. 

As a philanthropist Mr. Bloom made no distinction be- 
tween Jew and Gentile, race, or denomination and, while his 



326 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



attention was mostly directed toward the weal of the common- 
wealth of Iowa, he, nevertheless, managed to take care of as 
many charitable and benevolent matters as were of sufficient 
importance to call for his attention. 

As a Jew he was liberal in his views, for as he came to 
this coimtry at a tender age and followed so- many different 
branches of human enterprise, he has left nothing behind him 
to suggest his conservatism or radicalism! in practicing Juda- 
ism. He was married twice and was blessed with a family of 
twelve children, seven oif whom survive him. 

On June 14, 1893, amidst flowers and sunshine, when Na- 
ture is at her best, he yielded his soul most peacefully and was 
gathered unto his fathers. 

During the days of development in Iowa, there was an- 
other Jew who gained prominence and received an appoint- 
ment to an office of trust in 1871. The gentleman is now one 
of the prominent members of the Davenport Jewry, and his 
name is Louis A. Ochs. It was when Iowa was sorely in 
need of people, of people who were capable of becoming good 
tillers of the ground and useful members of the commonwealth 
that the Governor appointed Mr. Ochs Commissioner of 
Emigration for Germany. His field of labor was confined to 
Northern Germany and he, therefore, m|ade his headquarters 
in Hamburg, where he did splendid service for about a year. 
After returning to Davenport he was re-appointed to represent 
Iowa in the eastern states with headquarters at New York. 
Mr. Ochs continued tO' serve Iowa in that particular branch 
of usefulness till the office was abolished by the State Legis- 
lature. 



CITIZENSHIP IN IOWA 



327 



Another noted member of the Iowa Jewry is Mr. D. L* 
Heinsheimer of Glenwood, Mills county. He is a great finan- 
cier, probably equal to the late Mr. Frankel, an influential re- 




MR. LOUIS A. OCRS 



publican politician and a man of considerable knowledge and 
ability. He was born at Eppingen, Baden, March 19, 1847, 
and his parents brought him, to Cincinnati, Ohio, when he was 



328 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



but six years old. He received a common education at the 
Cincinnati schools and at the tender age of fourteen was 
left an orphan. Having to work his own way, he came to 
Glenwood, where his uncles were established in business and 




MK. HEINSHEIMER 

started to clerk for them. His resourceful mind was soon dis- 
covered by his uncles and by all whoi watched his progress. 

After ten years of work and experience, he started a small 
business for himself (1871) and later he took in his brother, 



CITIZENSHIP IN IOWA 329 



Albert, as a partner. Since then he has been prosperous in 
ever)^ one of his undertakings: he is president of the Mills 
County National Bank; has been a stock raiser and horticul- 
turalist for the past twenty years and owns a large business 
'establishment besides. 

Politically he is a republican — something very rare among 
prominent loiwa Jews — and has had a long and glorious career 
in Mills connty, and even in district and state politics. He was 
a councilman, president of the board of education for twelve 
years, the mayor of Glenwood for one term and also filled other 
local positions which his fellow-citizens could honor him with. 
In 1892, he coimmenced to gain state-wide recognition and be- 
came a factor in Iowa repubhcan circles ; he was choisen unani- 
mously to represent Iowa in the Republican National Con- 
vention in that year, and was elected presidential elector for 
Iowa in 1896. 

Mr. Heinsheimer continues to hold a prominent position 
among the foremost Iowa citizens and, among the Jewish 
pioneers of Iowa he figures most prominently. 

There were several more of the Iowa Jews who have been 
•distinguished politically, but, as some oif them have figured 
mostly in other fields, mention has already been made of them 
in preceding chapters of this work. 

The Des Moines Jewry was never craving for political 
lionors, and, besides Mr. Krouse, who was the first school di- 
rector of the first school of that city, there were only twO' oth- 
ers who held political of^ces, neither of which, however, was 
the gift of Polk county or, of the Des Moines municipality. It 
was during Cleveland's second administration that Mr. Moritz 



33(' 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



Stern, brother-in-law to the Sheuermans, was appointed Rev- 
enue Collector, and the late Louis Arenberg, Postmaster of 
East Des Moines. 

Mr. Henry Riegelman of Des Moines, however, is the most 




HENRY REIGELMAN 



widely known politician of the Iowa Jewry today. He has a 
state-wide reputation and was the late unsuccessful candidate 
of the democratic party for the office of State Treasurer. He 



CITENSHIP IN IOWA 331 



was born at Marion, Indiana, April lo, 1854, and received a 
liberal education. In 1870, he came toi Des Moines, where he 
continues to be a leading factor in its West Side Jewry. 

The first prominence Mr. Riegelman gained among the 
Iowa democrats was during the Boies campaign, when he was 
made chairman of the Polk comnty democratic committee. 
During that campaign he showed remarkable ability in poli- 
tics which led to his appointment to the Democratic State 
Central Committee. During the Bryan campaign of 1896, 
he was chosen Chairman of the State Central Committee, but, 
indeed, Mr. Bryan dragged all the greater or lesser lights to> a 
never-to^be-forgotten Waterloo, and, with the rest, Mr. Rieg- 
elman participated in the glorious defeat of that remarkable 
"silver year." 

Mr. Riegelman is interested in local philanthropic work, 
is president of the local lodge of the Bnai Brith and is a very 
popular man among Jews and Gentiles alike. 

His father, Mr. Moritz Riegelman, who was a leading 
rraember of the Bnai Yeshurun, during its early days continues 
yet among the living, much toi the delight of his prominent son 
as well as of his entire family. 

The present assistant city solicitor of Des Moines is a 
young Jewish attorney born of Orthodox Jewish parents, be- 
sides this, he enjoys the distinction of having been the first 
Jewish male child of among the Polish Jews of Des Moines. 
His name is Moses H. Cohen, son oif Ben Cohen. He complet- 
ed his course of education in Iowa schools, and has a 



332 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



bright future before him. PoHtically he is on the right side 
of Iowa, that is, a repubhcan, and during the last campaign 
he was chairmnn of the Seventh congressional district of Iowa. 




MARTIN SILBERSTEIN 

The most distinguished foreign yoiung Jew of Iowa is 
Captain Frank E. Harris, who is now stationed at Fort Mon- 
roe, Virginia. His father is a peaceful and hard-working old 
gentleman, who once upon a time was also a Talmudic student 
named Morris Harris. 



CITIZENSHIP IN IOWA 333 

Frank Harris was born at Orlie, Province Grodno', Russia, 
November 16, 1868, and came to Des Moines in the fall of 
1877. His days of study were marked with unusual hard- 
ships, a detailed accoiunt of which would be a repetition of a 
biography of some Lithunian poor boy who made his way 
through the greatest European schools. But young Frank 
was possessed of a military frame and genial mind, and to 
develop and combine them both was his sole ambition. His 
teachers advised him to enter West Point, and, indeed, he 
wanted it, too, but how could he, without political influence, 
receive the appointment? Minister Conger of China, who is 
an lo'wan, and at that time was in Washington as a congress- 
man from the Seventh Iowa district, heard of the lad 
and recommended himi very favorably, which ended in his 
final appointment. 

Captain Harris has succeeded in gaining the friendship 
of his superiors as well as the esteemi of his subordinates since 
he entered upon his active career, and his future is, indeed, 
still brighter. 

Thus, after a glimpse in the lives of several Iowa Jewish 
citizens of all grades and conditions who have managed to 
make for themselves a clear way tO' the greater avenues of hu- 
man undertaking, it is at once convincing that in every 
instance the Jew has had toi start from the very bottom, 
and when he has once cleared a small path and removed the 
thorns and thistles therefrom, he continued steadfastly without 
being corrupted by the bewitching temptations which are in 
great abundance on every step of the public men of America 
— a fact which is a credit to themselves, a benefit to Iowa cit- 
izenship and an honor to^ their fellow-citizens and co-religion- 
ists — the Jews of Iowa. 



334 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

PHILANTHROPY IN THE IOWA JEWRIES. 

Charity Versus Z'dakah — Scientific Charity — Peer of North- 
western Philanthropists — Ladies' Societies — Zionism — Sta- 
tistics. 

The subhmest characteristic of the people of Israel is its 
charitableness. ''Even those who are themselves depending 
upon society for support must give alms to the still less for- 
tunate," is an ancient law in Judaism. The hope of a Jew, 
in wishing himself to be blessed with wealth, is to be able to 
distribute more charity than the other fellow. With the Jews 
charty is a duty as much as tax paying. The Hebrew for 
charity in connmon use is — Z'dakah, but the word literally 
means righteousness. If one is a miser and refuses tO' give to 
the poor he is severely blamed, but if he gives accordingly he 
is not praised. He simply performs his duty. The one who 
gives and the one who does not give are likened unto two in- 
dividuals, one with a nose and the other without a nose. 

"Scientific charity" in a modern sense, was something un- 
known to the Jews, although the ancient system of taking care 
of the poor according to the accounts of the Talmudists was 



PHILANTHROPY IN IOWA JEWRIES 335 

much better and more helpful to the poor than the subsequent 
plan adopted in the various ghettoes. The highest grade of 
charity among the Jews at all times was, that neither the donor 
nor the beneficiary shall know where the money goes and 
whence it came. {Mathan B'saither.) 

In the ghettoes, charity was a matter of course, and no form 
of boastfulness or fashionableness was attached to the trail of 
poverty. Israel has never danced oir masqueraded in order to 
help widows, orphans, sick, hungry and distressed. He never 
had to unpack the entire amount of lavishness the human be- 
ing is still in possession of, in order to feel like throwing away 
a coin for the sake of the needy. The distressed mother in 
Israel whose babe sickened and needed medical attendance was 
never sent to "see the lady of the investigating committee." 
Every Jewish woman with a Jewish heart, was a benevolent 
society in every sense of the term, although she could not by 
herself play cards, call "meetings," read and listen tO' papers 
on "the failure of organized society to avert poverty," arrange 
and be present at "sociables," "musicals," "fairs," "dances" 
and "teas" for the sake of alleviating earthly sufferings. All 
these she attended, when the occasion called for such, for the 
sake of pleasure and amusement, which was, indeed, coming 
to her. The Jewish mothers and sisters have always had a 
tear, a smile, a kind word and above all an helping hand for 
those who were stricken by the cruel hand of fate. 

But, are we not progressing? Can the world remain in 
its ancient garb? What "fun" would there be if everything 
should continue in the same monotonous, dreary way? In- 



336 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



deed, shall we not flee on our forward march with the swift- 
ness of the flash of an electric current? "We shall and we 
must" was the cry of modern civilization, and, indeed, we did. 

Today everything is fashionable, or, rather, mimicry. The 
society which spends mostly breath, attaches as much import- 
ance and pomp to its proceedings as the organization which 
governs a nation. The individual who belongs to a chari- 
table organization, or happens to be its officer puts on the air 
of a Caesar resigning the thrice offered crown when he answers 
a call for help. 

Such is universal in this blessed land, and the ever-as- 
similating Jew is no exception. 

There are in this country thousands of local Jewish organ- 
izations of every description and nature and the good accom- 
plished, notwithstanding, the unique motives emfployed by 
them, is certainly great. There are dances, masquerades, and 
every other sorts of gayety for the sake of charity among the 
Jews, too. And, as the years roll on, it is quite becoming to 
see a Jewess perspiring in a latest dance for the sake of aiding- 
those of her sisters and brothers w-ho need coal, bread, medi- 
cine, shelter or clothes. 

The Iowa Jews are no exception in this respect, and every- 
thing commendable, or reprehensible, can l^e found in the larger 
Iowa Jewries as well as in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, 
Baltimore and Boston. Yet there remains one fact to be 
chronicled, that, notwithstanding the numerous innovations 
w^hich wxre introduced throughout the American Israel in 
raising funds for charity, the Jewish people has retained its 
liberalism and the Jews, even unto this day, are ambitious to 
be able to give, and to give plenty. 



PHILANTHROPY IN IOWA JEWRIES 337 

The lo'wa Jewry was erected upon a foundation oi benevo 
lence, and its members are even-unto this day the beloved child- 
ren of Zion. The first Jewish organization, as it was pointed out 
in a previoius chapter, was, 'The Benevolent Chrildren of 
Jerusalem" of Keokuk, and today there are moire charitable 
organizations among the Jews of lo-wa, though their number 
does not exceed 15,000, than in the city oif Boston which has a 
Jewish population of more than thrice that numiber. Besides 
there are individuals whose charitable contributions annually 
amount to thousands of dollars. 

The peer of the Jewish philanthropist west of the Missouri 
river, Mr. A. Slimme^r, lives in an Iowa town. The latter is a 
philanthropist with genuine Jewish ideas. He gives because 
he considers himself the trustee of a certain amount of money 
given to him by Almighty for the sake of the real needy. The 
biography of Mr. Slimmer would, if a detailed account of all 
his doings and adventures was given, fill a volume of interest- 
ing literature; but, as this work is limited to history only, 
nothing but a glimpse in his career can be given. 

Mr. Slimmer is a pioneer of Iowa and his business was 
chiefly confined to stock raising and dealing, and other pur- 
suits of agricultural nature. He was successful, chiefly be- 
cause of his sterling honesty and unimpeachable truthfulness. 
There is not another man in the entire state of Iowa who has 
enjoyed as much of the confidence of the people whom he 
dealt with as Mr. Slimmer. His first philanthropic effort 
was to alleviate the sufferings of the aged and infirm. To that 
end he contributed a sum of money toward the erection and 
maintenance of a Home for Aged in the city of Des Moines. 



338 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 




lowi Jewry's Philanthropist 



PHILANTHROPY IN IOWA JEWRIES 339 

Since that time he has established a Moshab Z'kanin (home for 
aged) in Chicago', and bequeathed his own mansion and a suf- 
ficient sum of mloney to maintain a hospital for the sick of 
Waverly, Bremer co'unty, Iowa, where he resides. 

Mr. Shmimer was never married, but he certainly leaves 
a name, better than sons oir daughters. Thus far his 

donations toi various institutions aggregate an approximate 
amfO'unt of $250,000. 

Mr. Slimmer has a store of philosophic utterances at his 
command which he never conceals. From the numerous let- 
ters received of him the following extracts are well worthy of 
preservation : 

'The world is not very largely interested in the limited 
work and act of any one person, for, at best, all any one can 
do will furnish but the smallest portion of the grain toward 
filling the great responsibilities we owe toi our fellow-men." 

**To make life a success, a few cardinal principles should 
be adopted and strictly adhered to, and all other good points 
will then follow in the wake of such course without any fur- 
ther efforts." 

"Ne^er hesitate to acquire an enemy for cause, as time 
servers have neither true friends nor real enemies." 

"Make punctuality to meet all your obligations one of the 
most sacred of duties, as no class of business can withstand 
the injurious effect from indifference to this rule." 

"Locate wherever you will, engage in any business you 
desire, yon are liable tO' be benefited to the extent you will 
adhere to the afore mentioned." 



340 THE JEWS OF IOWA. 



Mr. Slimmer seeks no credit for his deeds, boasts of noth- 
ing he does, knows of no distinction between race or denomi- 
nation, avoids fame as much as possible, blames the newspapers 
for giving him so much undeserved credit, gives to such insti- 
tutions which are not generally in the habit of begging, loves 
the truth, offers advice freely and is interested to further the 
cause of humanity with everything at his command. He is 
now advancing in years, but he bears his age gracefully and 
has the good wishes of thousands o^f his fellow-men. 

There were, and there are, many Jews in Iowa who have, 
accordingly, benefited their immediate neighbors with their 
kind-heartedness and philanthropic ideas, but Jewish philan- 
thropy in Iowa is mainly confined toi the good the different 
organizations have been, and are, doing. 

The formation of all of thj existing local charitable organ- 
izations in the organized Jeweries oif Iowa has marked with 
the usual zeal, hardships, heroic efforts, little strifes, "benefis," 
"entertainments," ''dances," and good work among the poor 
and needy. 

The burden of taking care of the local poor and needy 
rests upon the different ladies' societies ; but such is the case in 
communities which are more or less in sympathy with Reform 
tendencies, while in several strictly Orthodox localities the poor 
are being cared for in a medieval fashion. On the whole there 
is but very little poverty or distress among the Jews O'f Iowa, 
and the entire w^ork, so' to speak, commences when a new family 
moves in. The wealth of the Iowa Jews, while not as fabulous 
as is understood toi be, after a close investigation, is well dis- 
tributed. In the city of Des Moines wnth a Jewish population 



PHILANTHROPY IN IOWA JEWRIES 



341 



of oiver 4000 so'uls, there is not a single family, living there 
for six months and over, which is not self-supporting; the 
same condition is prevalent in every Iowa Jewry. 




MRS. D. GOLDMAN 



The first ladies' society in Iowa was organized in Keokuk 
(1869) ^^s leading spirits were: Mesdames, S. Klein, Marcus 
Yo'unker (now of Des Moines) R. Vogel) and L. Solomon. 



342 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



The second ladies' societ}^ was organized in Des Moines 
(1874) and, remarkable indeed, the same lady, Mrs. D. Gold- 
man, is its leading spirit even unto this day. Mesdames, M. 
Strauss, A, Shauerman (deceased) Tinie Younker, Celia Hirsh 
L. Hirsh, A. Polasky and B. Apple have carried on the good 
work of the ladies' society which now is the oldest in the state. 
There are now in Des Moines two more ladies' societies mainly 
of OrthodoK Jewish ladies, among whom Mesdames J. R. 
Cohen, F. Gottstein, Sam Cohen, R. Marks, L. Davidson, L. 
Ginsburg and F. Brody are figuring prominently and do ex- 
cellent work. 

The Davenport ladies have, indeed, been the leaders of the 
societies Oif the Iowa Jewry. They were organized in 
1883, and have a golden career behind them. Mes- 
dames J. Raphael, Rosa Roithschild, F. S'ilberstein 
and H. Meyer were the first officers and continued to be active 
for many years. Mrs. Silberstein continued as secretary for 
ten years and she with all the rest served the cause of benevo- 
lence most admirably. She died July 17, 1903. The present 
leaders of the Davenport society are: Mesdames D. Roths- 
child, J. Raphael, W. Fineshriber, H. Coffman and many other 
ladies of the distinguished Jewry of Davenport. 

Of the Sioux City ladies, because of their splendid work 
for Judaism in their city, an account was given in the chapter 
dealing with Sioux City. But there is now another growing 
ladies' society among the Orthodox Jews of that city, and 
their work is ^'erv commendable. 

Besides their religious organizations the Jews oi Iowa be- 
long to numerous fraternities of national and international 



PHILANTHROPY IN IOWA JEWRIES 343 



fame as well as tO' social and educational clubs which are entire- 
ly inter-denominational, and yet, nothing in respect to Jewish 
organizations is left undone. Particularly strong among the 



MkS. SILBERSTEIN 



Jews O'f Iowa appears the great Jewish order I. O. Bnai Birth, 
(Sons O'f the Covenant) of which trace is found in Iowa long 
before any other fraternity gained footing in its territory. 
The good which the B. B. has done for the American Jews 



344 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



as well as for the cause of Jews and Judaism the world over 
remains matchless in the history of Jewish organizations. To- 
day it is the greatest Jewish organization in the world, and its 
good work will yet play an important part in solving the Jew- 
ish question in Russia and Roumania. The workers of th B. 
B. in Iowa are : Martin Silberstein of Davenport, Moritz Stern, 
Henry Rejgelman and S. Josph of Des Moines, Henry Hirsh 
of Burlington, D. Carvaloh of Keokuk and several others 
throughout the state. 

Zionism, that sublime movement which has the resurrection 
of the Jewish nation as its cardinal principle is most widely 
spread among the Jews of Iowa. Their work in that direction 
is purely philanthropic, but it has done more good for the 
development of the Orthodox Jewries than numerous other 
causes and movements could have done. It has roused the 
Jew of every grade to self-consciousness, to self-respect and to 
a higher standard of Iffe. It has awakened the slumbering 
love for Judaism, for Jewish culture and for Jewish principles 
within the hearts of thousands, and has saved cO'Untless of 
young who otherwise were brought up indiffierent to their 
sublime history and ancestry. 

Political Zionism founded by the sainted Dr. Theodore 
Herzle in 1895, has sent foirth its rays of light into the most 
obscured ghettoes, and its ringing voice mixed with woe and 
exultation, fatigue and triumph, pleading and protest, reached 
the ears even of those whose ambition was tO' continue onward 
until no sign of Jewishness shall be left. Zionism has called 
the Jewish nation again into existence. 



PHILANTHROPY IN IOWA JEWRIES 345 

The ardent Zionist workers oif Iowa are: The Barons, 
Krugers and Prusners of Sioux City ; F. Brody, C. Silberman, 
R. Marks, Mrs. Kampinsky and Mrs. Levinson in Des Moines ; 
D. Grinspan in Centerville; I. Chterniss, Council Bluffs; G. 
Cohen, Cedar Rapids; Mr. Kaplan, Burlington, and many 
others scattered throughout the state. 

There are thirteen Zionist societies, eleven fraternal or- 
ganizations, fo'ur social clubs and eight ladies' societies among 
the Jews of Iowa. The total cost to maintain the thirty-six 
organizations during the year ending 1903, was $6,242, in- 
cluding the money raised for Kishineff. 

But the philanthropic work of the Jews of Iowa neither 
begins nor ends with these organizations; there are hundreds 
of Jews who belong tO' many institutions outside o-f Iowa and 
are interested in charitable w^ork of the East, particularly in 
the Cleveland Orphan Asylum. 

Mr. A. Rothschild of Davenport is quite a philanthropist 
and is greatly interested in homes and hospitals. Mr. Roths- 
child writes : ''I was born at Eberstadt, Grand Duchy of Baden, 
Germany, March 10, 1852, and came to Muscatine in June, 
1868. I made my home with my uncles, Rothschild Bros, who 
were established in business in that tow^n since 1856. In 1887, 
I moved toi Davenport where the business of D. Roths- 
child Grain Co. was established." 

**I think the Jewish people is moire fit for commercial or 
professional purposes than any other human pursuit, but, ow- 
ing to the overcrowded ghettoes in the East, agriculture is 
very commendable far the new imimigrant." 



346 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



*'I believe that orphan asylums, homes for the aged and 
infirm and hospitals are the most deserving of our charities.'' 




D. ROTHSCHILD 



Mr. Rothschild is a trustee of the Cleveland Orphan Home, 
president of the Bnai Israel congregation of Davenport, a man 
of magnetic personality and a prominent citizen in Iowa. 



PHILANTHROPY IN IOWA JEWRIES 



347 



The late A. Sheuerman of Des Moines was also a Trustee 
oi the Cleveland Orphan Home and one of the philanthrouic 
Jews Oif the State. 

The philanthropy of the Jews of Iowa can never be figured 
out minutely, for there are a number of Jews in Iowa who give 
alms and it never comes to light fo^r those donors wish it to be 




ABRAHAM SHEUERMAN 
Courtesy of Register and Leader 

Mathon B'saither. One thing remains certain that no other 
fifteen thousand people in Iowa or anywhere in the world can 
boast of so miuch as the Jews of Iowa can, and no other class 
which has come with nothing to its name has accomplished 
even one-half in every branch of human pursuits as the Jews 
did anywhere in this country. 



348 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



CHAPTER XXV 

EDUCATIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL PROGRESS IN THE IOWA 

JEWRIES. 

Ghetto Education — Products of Russian Hashkelah — Career 
of a Bard Ends in Iowa — Young Israel of America Pillar 
of Jews and Judaism' — Jewish School Children in Iowa — • 
Friendliness of the Press to Iowa Jews. 

Israel became ''a people of the book" long before civiliza- 
tion broke through the wilds of the Occident, and ere the great 
races of today had learned tO' appreciate raiment and dwelling 
Judah had already bewailed the loss of priests, judges, 
prophets, kings, heroes, poets and nationalism. Israel's "pillar 
of fire" was — Inspiration, the true offspring of godly wis- 
dom, and his "pillar of cloud" was — Reason, extracted from 
the essence of exhausted study. The Hebrews, long l>efore they 
beheld the scenes of the Holy Land, have fortified their souls 
against idolatry, and before ever they had a taste of the "milk 
and honey" they willingly digested the Torah. 

When cruel dispersion came and scattered the God-chosen 
nation throughout the four corners of the earth, there was 
still left a handful of sages to keep Israel together by saving 



EDUCATION IN IOWA JEWRIES 349 

the Torah fromi the hands of its enemies, and, ever since, the 

magic tie of Israel's sacred Hterature would not yield the wan- 
derers to the destructive elements to tear themi asunder. 

An am ha Oretz (illiterate person) was the object of scorn 
in every Jewish community, and the pious sages of yore placed 
himi second only to a heathen. The lullaby of the ghettoi was : 
Torah, ist die beste S'chorah, (Learning is the most profitable 
merchandise. ) The dignity and rank of a family in Israel was 
esteemed according to the number of scholars it could boast 
of, not according to the amount of dollars it could count. 

A scholar, even thoiugh he be of illicit birth, was to- be 
honored before an ignorant high priest; in the days of the 
Talmiudists, a heathen whoi studied the Law was equal to a 
high priest. 

When the rays of sunshine were checked by iron walls and 
the window-panes of Israel's humble dwellings comld only re- 
flect gloomi upon the innocent faces of the children of the 
ghettot, there was still another light illuminating the genii of 
Israel, it was the light of learning, of knowledge and, it broke 
thro'Ugh the barred gates more than once to spread cheerful 
light throughout the Dark Ages. 

Illiteracy could possibly make no headway in the narrow 
streets O'f Israel's Hinoni during the European persecutions, 
for every son of Israelitish parents had to be instructed in 
Hebrew that he might at least know tO' recite the Tphiloth; 
(prayers) but continual oppression, poverty, homelessness and 
seclusion have jeopardized Israel's traditional love for refine- 
ment and reduced the masses of the Jewish people to rudeness, 



350 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



rusticity, coarseness and shabbiness. Superstition, too, found 
many adherents in the ghetto, and secular knowledge was, for 
a long time, divorced from the Jewish masses. 

The Mendelssohnian era in Germany and the dawn of Rus- 
sian Hashkolah put an end to the notion of the ghettoes that 
only ancient literature of a sacred source is to be pursued 
everlastingly by Israel, and, at once, the Jewish youths directed 
their ambition toward the tree of secular knowledge. The 
Jewish woman, too, was emancipated, and their mission became 
something more than being brought up as a reproductive 
organism of the ghetto. Life became more European-like in 
the hitherto medieval quarters of the wonder-working people, 
and the cry from thence echoed a burning thirst for learning. 

But anti-Semitism and hideous laws put a revolving sword 
at the gate of Israel's new paradise; only three percei.t of Jew- 
ish students could enter the higher institutions of learning in 
Russia, whereas the outpour of the ghettoes could have taxed 
the capacities of every college and university in that country. 

The woeful stories of the disappointed and despaired Jew- 
ish students is imprinted upon the stones of the streets of every 
European metropolis where the fatigued, famished and un- 
fortunate young heroes of Israel have aimlessly wandered 
about in search of education and recognition. 

The next move of despaired Israel was — America. But, 
alack! in this vast land of activity and materialism but little 
delight greeted the idealists of the European ghettoes. Hun- 
dreds of the forlorn grand-children of the ghetto have wasted 
their strength in sweat shops, in swamps, in prairies, in fac- 



EDUCATION IN IOWA JEWRIES 351 

tories and in hoispitals. Those who' dreamt of becoming jurists, 
physicians, journahsts, authoirs, mathematicians, professors 
and oratoTs were compelled to confine themselves in dungeons 
of cobblers, tailors, cigarmakers, second hand dealers, butchers, 
paper-hangers and all other mean work known to the crowded 
districts of New York; Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Bos- 
ton and Pittsburg, and yet, many of them have survived every- 
thing and reached the summit of their ceaseless ambition at 
last. Aye, the martyrdom of the products of the Russian 
Hashkolah could not wholly be described even though a volume 
of adjectives, picturing tears, hunger, sickness, revolt, despair, 
infidelity, vain efforts, exile, torture, failure, consumption, 
Denver and Death, be wasted in chronicling it. 

A distinguished specimen of that forlorn generation has 
had the good fortune of being deposited beneath the surface oi 
loiwa soil. He was a Mashkil of rare talents, and a poet, too. 
His name was A. Markson. 

His cradle was Pillvossok, (about 1864) the town which 
has contributed miany good families to the Iowa Jewry. Like 
all other children of that townlet he was sent to chedar at the 
age of five and the Malach (angel, ghetto Santa Claus) whose 
dwelling was above the ceiling of the filthy little room, which 
was kitchen, bed-room, dining-room, parlor, library and 
school, was very kind toi little Markson and threw do'wn a 
Kopek (Russian penny) upon his alphabet. Alas, the Malach 
never again appeared to him: ! 

He studied the Bible, Talmud and Poskim (super-commen- 
taries upO'U the Talmud) for several years, but his ambition 
was directed to secular studv, which was indeed a hard task 



352 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



to undertake. He managed to master the Russian language 
and some of its literature in addition to acquiring the Hebrew 
and part of its new literature. Seeing that in Russia his case 




f.!ARKSON 



was hopeless, he crossed the border line and settled in Koenigs- 
berg, eastern Prussia. But in that metropolis were scores of 
Jewish youths like him and all they could manage to obtain 



EDUCATION IN IOWA'S JEWRIES 353 

was, a garret, one meal a day,a constant dread for the Schutz- 
man (German policeman) lest his race and nativity be dis- 
covered, difficult study and final disappointment. He, never- 
theless, remained there several years and after finding out, like 
all others before himi did, that Germany will not tolerate 
the presence of foreigners, particularly Russian JeWs, he 
turned his face and lifted his hands toward America. 

Mr. Markson mastered, Yiddish, Lithuanian (a sanscritic 
dialect), Polish, Russian, German and Hebrew, and here, he 
foiund himiself a mute, a greenhorn. He found America an 
Olam Hophuch (a world of contradictions). The great 
M'uchas (one of high birth) is confined fourteen or fifteen 
hours daily in a sweat-shop, while the Y ungate (vagrant) dis- 
owns all his former acquaintances and looks proudly upon the 
greene iro<m his large establishment on Broadway. The worth- 
less being is said to be zi^orth thousands, while the real worthies 
are said tO' be zuorth nothing. 

But the stomachic problem w^as more enigmatic to the bard 
than any other puzzling questions and he soon forgot every- 
thing in his hunt for a piece of bread. He peddled, clerked, 
married, lived in Omaha, and finally kept books for Mr. Jacobs 
at Ames, Iowa. He wrote some good Hebrew poems too, but 
the little prosperity which Iowa showered upon him during his 
five years' sojourn upon her soil was insufficient to restore his 
ruined health, and, after being confined in Mercy Hospital of 
Des Moines for several weeks, his career was completed and 
death relieved him of all burdens. And on a very gloomy day, 
wdien snow, frost, wind, cloud and cheerlessness echoed the 



354 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



melancholy tune of Nature's harp, a handful of Des Moines 
Jews laid him to rest, (1903) little realizing that his grave 
marked the end of the most interesting chapter in Israel's 
history. 

His poems were mostly published in a periodical named 
ho-Ihry (the Hebrew), which has now ceased to exist, and the 
few which are unpublished are of little merit. 

In Iowa, his death marked the end of the European sort of 
education among the Jews, and very soon the entire genera- 
tion who have witnessed the scenes oi distress in Europe will 
make way for yonng Israel who were, and are being, brought 
up in America's public school. 

The young generation of Iowa's Jews is a promising one, 
indeed. Judaism will have to be what they make it, and 
Israel will be respected according to the progress they will be 
able to boast of when their fathers, the pioneers, will be no 
more. And, it is indeed, gratifying to Jews and Judaism that 
yoimg Israel in America is a promising lot. Upon the counte- 
nance of the boys and girls who were born on Iowa soil and 
are nourished upon its fat, no traits of forced humbleness, no 
sign of physical demoralization, no trace of ghettoism can be 
discovered. They are a sturdy lot, aggressive in every way and 
proud of Americanism. They are eagerly speeding toi the Iowa 
school honses, and their entire hope is concentrated on one 
subject — study. Their Jewishness begins with profound re- 
spect for authority, great desire for knowledge, with studioiis- 
ness, genius and endless love for music. All Iowa school prin- 
ciples, who were consulted for candid opinions on the Jewish 



FACSIMILE OF MARKSON'S POEM 

■^9.' If] ^ -)'^ -v^7 



//^ 



MAN'S HEART 

TRANS LA TION 

Unto a fiddle, man's heart is like 

A violin of strings but two ; 

One, jovial song, mirth, doth strike. 

The other — weeps, rends hearts in two. 

Upon the fiddle, Time's hand doth play. 

The odd bow, she moves with grace and r.peed ; 

One second, the air is joyous, gay. 

The second — filled with woe, tears, indeed. 



356 THE JEWS OF IOWA 



school children, when statistical data was being collected for 
this work, are unanimous in praising their behavior, studious- 
ness and brightness. 

There are twenty- four counties in Iowa where there appears 
not a single name of a Jewish school child on record; the 
counties are : Audubon, Cass, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Greene, 
Hancock, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Kossuth, Lyon, Monroe, 
O'Brien, Osceola, Pocahontas, Shelby, Taylor, Union, Wayne, 
Winnebago, Worth and Wright. But there are a number of 
Jews in those counties who' are engaged in commercial pur- 
suits; they are mostly single men or late immigrants wdiose 
families are as yet in the lands of Darkness. 

In the seventy-five counties where the Iowa Jewry is scat- 
tered about there were enrolled during the school year 1903- 
04, according to reports from, the proper authorities, 2,343, 
Jewish school children, including those who are attending high 
schools, colleges and universities. Polk county (Des Moines) 
has 347 males, and 368 females, or a total of 715, Jewish chil- 
dren in its public schools, high schools and colleges. The 
Bremer school in Des Moines had enrolled 119, and the Braynt 
school 114, Jewish children. The above named schools are 
located in the center of the Jewish settlement on the East side, 
but practically speaking there is no ghetto to sj>eak of in any 
large Iowa city. 

Among the children of the pioneers whose school days are 
past, are a class of educated men and women who are the pride 
of the Iowa Jewry and figure largely among the intellectual 
circles of Iowa. Among them are nine physicians, eight law- 



EDUCATION IN IOWA JEWRIES 357 

yers, eighteen school teachers, and three college professors, 
most of whom were born in Iowa and more than half oi them 
are of Russian and Polish Jewish parentage. * 

But the educational and intellectual progress of the Jews of 
Iowa was not wholly confined to the young, for even their 
fathers and mothers have advanced marvelously, and it would 
be in vain to search for ghetto types among the Jews who have 
had the benefit oi loiwa environment for the past twenty or 
thirty years. With his habitual cosmopolitanism, the Jew has 
readily and willingly adopted himself to everything good in 
Americanism and, at the same time, retained whatever good 
there is in the traditional Jewish characteristics. The Jew has 
gained the dignity oi an American gentleman and retained 
the prestige of his race most wonderfully. 

loiwa journalism was also a field for several Jews whose 
ingenuity has contributed no mean share to elevate the stand- 
ard of the press. The foremost among them was Samuel 
Strauss, son of M! Strauss oi the firm of Lederer, Strauss & 
Co'., of Des Moines. He was most successful as the owner O'f 
the ''Leader" and subsequently when he consolidated with 
the "Register," he succeeded in making "the Register and 
Leader" what it is today, that is, one of the most powerful 
and influential papers in Iowa. 

Mr. Strauss has recently removed to New York where he 
purchased the New York Post and, as he is a great manager, 



* One of the professors is Mr. Steiner, of Grinnell. He is a brother to the editor of 
the Zionist organ, "Die Welt" of Vienna, Austria, and the author of "Tolstoi, the Man." 
Mr. Steiner is the instructor of Christianity at the college and frequently occupies the pulpits 
of the most foremost churches in Iowa. 



358 



THE JEWS OF IOWA 



a noted orator and above all a Jewish patriot, he will figure 
prominently in making Jewish history in this country, for he 
is still a young man. 

There are several other Jewish young men and women in- 
terested in journalism and have very bright prospects. Among 
the foreign Jews are also several who at intervals contribute 
to the Hebrew and Yiddish press, but as yet none of the 
talented men and women of the Iowa Jewry have earned their 
l>read from journalism with the exception of a very few. 




SAMUEL STRAUSS 
Courtesy of The Daily News 



Music and art is well represented in the Iowa Jewries, but 
only three young women have made a profession out of their 
accomplishments, one of whom broke away from her parents, 
friends and people in her zeal to follow music. But upon 
the rising generation rests everything. 

The press generally is very liberal in its treatment of Jew- 
ish subjects, and whenever a calamity befell upon the Euro- 



• . EDUCATION IN IOWA JEWRIES 359 

pean Jews, such as the Dreyfus case, the Kishineff massacre, 
and all other important events, was treated with the utmost 
kindness toward the downtrodden people. In fact, the Iowa 
press, should it have been owned by Jews, could not have 
accorded better treatments toi the people of Israel generally. 

Indeed, in every walk oif life, in every avenue of human 
enterprises which the lowans have been fortunate to pursue 
with distinction, the Jewish citizens were alongside 
of them and assisted in rolling the mill stoiie of Iowa's golden 
career upon the summit of happiness and concord. 

There poGsibly can be found no better example of the 
brotherhood of mankind than when we behold men and women 
of different coiuitry and clime, race and belief, working in 
harmony toi enhance the commerce and industry, to* purify the 
community from vice, tO' uplift the standard of morality, to 
promote the welfare of society, toi protect the principles of 
good goivernment, tO' propagate concord, tOi eliminate prejudice, 
to alleviate sufferings and to create the most happiness. 

Surely, Providence destined DeSoto, a son of the inquisi- 
tionary Spain, the country of blood and flame, toi die searching 
lands foir the free and homes for the poor. 

The End. 



M^V 31 1905, 



( 




''"^^ 










.■ ;■' 'Kf'n'-.i. 



